Rosemary is an evergreen herb with needle-like leaves and a strong, pine-like fragrance. If you've ever smelled a Christmas tree and then caught a whiff of something cooking with rosemary, you'd notice they share that fresh, woodsy scent.

Cooks use rosemary to flavor roasted meats, potatoes, bread, and soups. The leaves are tough and pointy, so recipes often call for removing the leaves from the stems before serving, or using whole sprigs that get pulled out before eating. Fresh rosemary grows on small shrubs with pale blue flowers, and many people keep rosemary plants in their gardens or kitchens because the herb stays green year-round and smells wonderful when you brush against it.

The name comes from Latin words meaning “dew of the sea,” because rosemary grows wild along Mediterranean coastlines. In ancient times, people believed rosemary helped memory and concentration, so students in ancient Greece sometimes wore rosemary garlands while studying. Today, the herb appears in everything from roasted chicken to focaccia bread, adding its distinctive woody flavor to dishes around the world.