century and named shiso; many Westerners
get their first taste of it in sushi restaurants.
The distinctive aroma of perilla is due to a
terpene called perillaldehyde, which has a
fatty, herbaceous, spicy character. There are
several different perilla varieties, some green,
some red to purple with anthocyanins, some
with no perillaldehyde and instead tasting of
dill or lemon. The Japanese eat the leaves and
flower heads with seafood and grilled meats,
and use a red variety to color and flavor the
popular pickled plum, umeboshi. Koreans
obtain both flavor and cooking oil from
perilla seeds.
Rosemary Rosemary is a distinctive woody
shrub, Rosmarinus officinalis, that grows in
the dry Mediterranean scrublands, with leaves
so narrow and tightly rolled that they look like
pine needles. It has a strong, composite scent,
made up of woody, pine, floral, eucalyptus,
and clove notes. In southern France and Italy