Ingredient guide / Culinary herbs
Lovage: flavour, uses and substitutes
Very strong, celery-like and reminiscent of stock.
Levisticum officinale
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Three identifying features
- Large toothed leaflets
- Glossy dark green colour
- Distinct celery scent
Fresh or dried?
Use fresh or dried, starting with very little.
When should it go into the pan?
Let one leaf infuse the soup, then taste before adding more.
What does it go with?
Vegetable soup, potato stew, lentils and mushrooms.
Cuisines & dish ideas
Try central European vegetable stocks and hearty potato stews.
What can replace it?
Celery leaves, if celery is suitable for the people eating the dish.
How should it be stored?
Wrap and refrigerate the leaves, or chop and freeze; seal dried lovage.
Recipes using it
This ingredient has not been found in the existing recipe collection yet.
Sources and notes
Sources
- NC State Extension · Levisticum officinale · Accessed 2026-10-25
- BZfE · How-to Kräuter · Accessed 2026-10-25
Image: AI-generated (OpenAI). Image note: The illustrations were created with AI. They show culinary ingredients and are not a guide to identifying wild plants.