Tarragon
What it is
A perennial of the daisy/aster family (Artemisia dracunculus), grown for its slender, smooth, glossy green leaves. The culinary plant is French tarragon (var. sativa), a sterile cultivar propagated only by division. Russian tarragon is a coarser, near-flavorless relative often sold as seed — a frequent disappointment.
How it's made
French tarragon sets no viable seed and must be propagated vegetatively from cuttings or root division, which keeps true culinary tarragon comparatively scarce and tied to a real cultivar lineage. Harvested as sprigs. It dries poorly — the anise note fades fast — so it is best fresh or preserved in vinegar.
Flavor profile
Sweet, fragrant anise-licorice with notes of vanilla and a faint green pepperiness, driven by estragole. Distinctive and aromatic, it is one of a small group of "anise-family" herbs (with chervil and fennel) but is sweeter and more refined than any of them. The aroma is delicate and heat-sensitive.
Culinary uses
The defining herb of béarnaise sauce — tarragon, shallot, and vinegar reduced and emulsified into butter and egg yolk — and of the French fines herbes blend (with chervil, chives, parsley). Add fresh and late; heat dulls the anise quickly. Classic with chicken (poulet à l'estragon), eggs, fish, and in tarragon vinegar and mustards. It pairs beautifully with cream, butter, and white wine. Dried tarragon is weak and hay-like — a poor substitute; tarragon vinegar preserves the flavor far better. Chervil can echo the anise note delicately but with less sweetness; nothing fully replaces tarragon in béarnaise.
Regional variations
French tarragon: the only one worth cooking with. Russian tarragon (A. dracunculus subsp. dracunculoides): hardier, grows from seed, but bland to bitter — sold to the unwary. Mexican tarragon / Mexican mint marigold (Tagetes lucida): a Tagetes (marigold) substitute with a similar anise note, grown where true tarragon struggles in heat. Tarragon is overwhelmingly a French herb; it appears rarely outside French and French-influenced cooking.
Cultural & historical context
Native to Eurasia. The species name dracunculus ("little dragon") and the common name (via French estragon, from Arabic/Latin roots meaning "little dragon") refer either to its serpentine roots or to a medieval belief it cured snakebite. It is one of the four pillars of French fines herbes and a cornerstone of classical French sauce-craft — an herb whose identity is almost entirely bound to one national cuisine.
Reference notes
Suggested slug: `tarragon`. Tags: `herb`, `tender-herb`, `aster-family`, `anise-note`, `add-late`, `poor-dried`. Related ingredients: shallot, vinegar, butter, egg, chicken. Related cuisines: French. Suggested Cuisinopedia links: Béarnaise, Fines Herbes, Chervil, Chicken Dishes. Tag the French-vs-Russian cultivar warning prominently — it's a common shopping pitfall.