Skip to content
FriendsPantry
Tarragon (fresh)

Fresh herbs · Fresh herbs

Tarragon (fresh)

Slender-leaved French herb with a sweet anise flavour, key to béarnaise and chicken dishes.

Also called: fresh tarragon, estragon, tarkhun, tarhun

Around the world: tarkhuna (ka) · estragon, tarkhun (ru) · tərxun (az)

A kind of fresh herbs

7 recipes with it

Photo: Ies, via Wikimedia Commons (public-domain)

What it is

French tarragon has narrow, glossy, pointed leaves with a distinctive sweet, liquorice-like taste. It is one of the French fines herbes. Russian tarragon looks similar but is much less aromatic. It is also used in Georgian and Iranian cooking and to flavour vinegars.

Artemisia dracunculus

How it’s used

  • Béarnaise sauce
  • Chicken and egg dishes
  • Tarragon vinegar and dressings
  • Georgian chakapuli stew and Iranian herb platters

Characteristics

Taste
Sweet, anise-like, slightly bitter.
Sold as
fresh, dried
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked, Usually eaten raw, Mainly a seasoning

Storage

Refrigerated. Wrap in damp paper in a bag; use within a few days.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
23 kcal
Protein
3.15 g
Carbohydrate
2.65 g
Fat
0.64 g
Fibre
1.6 g
Sugars
0.3 g

USDA FoodData Central: Basil, fresh (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Dill — Different but similarly fresh and slightly anise; or a pinch of fennel seed in cooked sauces.

Related ingredients

Recipes with tarragon (fresh)

More fresh herbs