The role of sage in Western cuisine

Food Pairing

In Western cooking, sage is often used to marinate food to remove fishy smell, which is equivalent to the onion and ginger juice used to remove fishy smell in Chinese cuisine. Sage has a strong aroma and slightly bitter taste. It can be used to marinate liver, large intestine, lamb, etc. which have strong fishy smell. It is also a good choice to use it instead of black pepper marinated beef. It eliminates odors while adding the unique aroma of sage.

Add it to chicken or duck stuffing to make the food more fragrant.

Sage is used to cook with meat products and greasy foods to help aid digestion.

Add to wine, beer, vinegar for flavoring.

Cook with dairy products, or boil sage leaves with water and steep for 10 minutes as sage tea. Long-term consumption will improve your skin tone.

Italians use sage to make bread and soak it in oil, which can not only remove fishy smell but also break down fat. Adding sage to sausages can better kill bacteria and preserve them.

Cooking method

Dried sage needs to be cooked longer to fully develop its flavor and is added during cooking.

Fresh sage cannot withstand high temperatures and cannot be cooked for too long. Just add it at the end and stir-fry until it is fragrant.

As a seasoning, don't use too much sage to avoid masking the flavor of other ingredients.