Scarborough Fair – A European-Themed Garden in Canada for the Mexican Kitchen

I could have not wished for a better topic than this week’s “Spice it Up” Song Lyric Sunday, hosted by epic author Jim @ A Unique Title for Me.  Jim says:

“This week we have seasoning prompts Cinnamon/Mint/Parsley/Pepper/Rosemary/Sage/Salt/Thyme and hopefully this will leave a pleasant smell with all of us. Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two. Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post. Show the lyrics, let’s all listen to our favorite songs and explore some new music. Try to find a song that fits the prompt, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.
Here are the “rules”:
• Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not. If it does not fit, then please explain why you chose this song.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
• Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.”

One of my garden beds has a “Scarborough Fair” herb theme, stealing directly from the lyrics: “Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme”.  The photo at the top of this post was taken this morning, and shows my “Scarborough Fair” patch with green parsley, sage starting to bud, potted rosemary and thyme in full bloom.  

Although all of these and many other herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, are not native to the American continent, some became naturalized or extensively grown in Mexico, and skillful cooks embraced Spanish and other European influences to create amazingly rich and aromatic dishes, which have become part of traditional Mexican cuisine. A flavourful example is Birria (click here for full story and my recipe):

This stew has a long ingredient list that includes, amongst many other spices and herbs, thyme, which I always source from my patch, fresh during the warm season, or dried in winter. 

There are many other Mexican recipes which call for, as the song would say in Spanish, “Perejil, salvia, romero y tomillo” , which I have readily available in my Canadian garden, without “going to Scarborough Fair.” 

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I am linking to Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD) Challenge for May 31, 2020.