Amore Amaro

Original photo by: Kat, via Wikipedia.

Angelica is a known ingredient in many modern amari. It is used as a bittering agent, and has a pungent and warm flavor.

Uses

Typically, angelica root is used in flavoring; in some cases, the seeds are used as well. The stems were once commonly used to make candy. In addition to amaro, Angelica is used a flavoring in Chartreuse, Strega, Galliano, and vermouth.¹

Historical context

Angelica is native to Europe, Greenland and Siberia, and has a long history of cultivation. It was originally brought in from the wild because of its heavy perfume, which intensified as it was cultivated. Angelica was used in for both cooking and medicine, and according to legend got its name because “an angel appeared to a monk in a dream and told him of its usefulness against the plague.”²

Angelica‘s culinary appeal lies in a survival strategy: the avoidance of pests. Amy Stewart writes in The Drunken Botanist that:

A chemical analysis of fresh angelica roots shows that it contains a number of tasty compounds designed to ward off insect attacks: citrusy limonene, woodsy pinene, and distinctly herbal B-phellandrene are all flavors that make it particularly welcome in liqueurs.³

In keeping with the dictum that all culktivated plants have multiple applications to justify the use of scarce space and resources, angelica was used in many ways. In Medieval English Gardens, Teresa McLean writes:

Angelica is the paragon of the versatile herb garden herb, grown by infirmarers for its anti-pestilential properties and by others for the same properties and also for its digestive, gastronomic and decorative ones.⁴

A later, annotated version of Culpepper’s herbalary says that stalks and roots were candied and eaten during fasting to “warm and comfort a cold stomach.” It goes on to note that the roots and stems are still used for flatulence and as an anti-dyseptic, with an infusion being made of the bruised root or entire herb.⁵

Cultivation

Angelica is an herbaceous perennial, and enjoys soil that is rich but partly acidic. It does best in full sun to part shade. It needs consistent water and should not be allowed to dry out.

Like many relatives in the Apiaceae family, the oils of angelica can cause photosensitivity, so if harvesting or using it externally, use caution and cover up in the sun.⁶

Angelica should be avoided in the wild, as it has many toxic relations, including poison hemlock.

Pests

Angelica is susceptible to spider mites, aphids and leaf miners.⁷

References

1. Stewart, Amy. The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks (Kindle edition). Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2013 (loc. 2181).
2. McLean, Teresa. Medieval English Gardens. New York: Viking Press, 1980 (p. 182).
3. Stewart, op. cit. (loc. 2188).
4. McLean, op. cit. (p. 183).
5. Culpepper, Nicholas. Culpepper’s Color Herbal. David Potterton, ed. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, 1983 (p. 16).
6. Missouri Botanical Garden, “Angelica archangelica.” Accessed August 12, 2019.
7. Ibid.