Amore Amaro

Original photo by: Ivar Leidus, via Wikipedia.

Chives have a relatively mild, onion-like flavor. They are commonly used as an herb in cooking or as a garnish to meals.

Uses

Chives are not known to be an ingredient in any amaro recipe; they’ve been included here to add depth to the garden design with their grassy foliage.

Historical context

Alliums — including onions, leeks, scallions, and chives — have long been a part of kitchen gardens. They are also likely to have been included in most medieval gardens, from those found in cloistered monasteries to humble peasant plots.

References to chives are found in Pliny, Palladius, John of Garland, the Capitulare de villis (originally attributed to Charlemagne), and thje Ruralia commoda of Piero de’ Crescenzi.¹ In his herbalary, Culpepper noted that when prepared by an alchemist, chives could provide an excellent remedy for “stoppage of the urine,” among other things.² Today, chives are considered a culinary herb and are not used medicinally. Any uses chives once fulfilled have more or less been superseded by garlic oil, which is more effective and widely available in capsule form.

Cultivation

Chives grow natively in the Balkans, Serbia, and Turkey. They may be grown from bulbs or from seed. Chives like average soil with good drainage, do well in full sun to partial shade, and have medium water requirements.³

Pests

Chives are somewhat susceptible to root rot, so proper drainage is important.⁴

References

1. Opsomer-Halleux, Carméla. “The Medieval Garden and Its Role in Medicine,” in Medieval Gardens (Dumbarton Oaks Colloquia on the History of Landscape Architecture, v9). Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1986 (p. 107, 113).
2. Culpepper, Nicholas. Culpepper’s Color Herbal. David Potterton, ed. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, 1983 (p. 45).
3. Missouri Botanical Garden, “Allium schoenoprasum.” Accessed August 11, 2019.
4. Ibid.