Hyssop

I've never cooked with hyssop, either at home or professionally, so I know little about the Mediterranean herb.

Hyssop plants in flower	Hyssop stem and flowers	Hyssop leaves	Dried hyssop leaves

Species:	Hyssopus officinalis.
Origin:	Mediterranean.
Source:	Hyssop is native to the Mediterranean region.
Used Part:	All aerial parts of the plant (stem, leaves, flowers) are used together. The dried plant is less aromatic than the fresh one.
Family:	Lamiaceae (mint family).
Effect:	Aromatic and slightly bitter.
Etymology:	The genus name hyssopus and English common name hyssop derive from Middle English ysop and Old English and Old French ysope, in turn derived from Latin hyssopum or hyssopus from Greek hysspōn or hysspōs.
	The Greek name is originally of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew ēzōbh "hyssop", Assyro-Babylonian zūpu and Syriac zōfā, probably derived from Old Hebrew ēzōbh (mentioned in the Bible), although ēzōbh most probably referred to a local variety of marjoram rather than the plant called hyssop today. Another explanation is that the source is an obscure Arabic word azzof "holy herb", probably related to Kurdish zufa "hyssop" and French herbe sacrée "sacred herb".
	Species name officinalis refers to a "drug", "medicine" or "plant".
Uses:	Hyssop, an attractive garden plant with dark blue flowers, has modest value as a spice because the aroma is weak (reduced to nil after drying) and the taste is somewhat bitter. It can be used for robust, rustic dishes like potato or bean soup and it goes well with fat meat. Others suggest its use to spice calf and chicken, where it may be an interesting alternative to the herb sage which hyssop resembles in bitterness but not in fragrance. Sometimes hyssop is added to bouquet garni.