Artemisia dracunculus, a plant indigenous to Siberia, S. Russia, and W. Asia, was virtually unknown in Europe in classical times and only began to turn up as an ingredient in Italian and French cookery in the late medieval period. It was introduced to England in the 16th century.
There is a distinction, important for cooks, between what is really the wild form of the plant, known as Russian tarragon, and A. dracunculus var sativa, which is French tarragon. The latter is greatly preferable; the former has a coarser flavour.
Tarragon is used, in discreet quantities, with tomatoes, fish, salads, meats, chicken, and lobster. It also gives its name to tarragon vinegar, one of the best-known flavoured vinegars. It is most strongly established in French kitchens. Not only is it one of the usual elements in fines herbes, but it also occurs as the chief flavouring in many French dishes, such as Poulet à l'estragon, and certain sauces. Béarnaise sauce is the best-known example.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
