Overview
About Herbes de Provence
Herbes de Provence is a dried blend, traditionally thyme, savory, rosemary, oregano and marjoram, and in export versions lavender as well.
It grades moderate rather than high on salicylates, which is worth knowing because the herbs inside it grade higher on their own: our rosemary and oregano entries both sit at high salicylate. The blend lands lower because a teaspoon of it spread across a whole roast is a very different dose from a handful of one herb. It is clean on gluten, lactose, FODMAPs, nickel, sulfites, nightshades and histamine content itself, with only a mild histamine-liberating tendency. For most people the real variable is not the herbs at all but what the jar has been cut with.
Sensitivities
How Herbes de Provence scores
Watch for
What trips people up
- Moderate salicylate, and the components grade higher individually. If aromatic dried herbs are a known problem for you, the blend concentrates several of them at once, so judge it by how heavily you season rather than by the pinch on the label
- Read the ingredient list before you trust the FODMAP grade. Supermarket blends are frequently extended with garlic powder, onion powder or salt, and those additions carry high fructans that the pure herb mix does not
- Lavender is the giveaway that a jar was blended for the export market. It is a modern, largely non-traditional addition (it does not appear in Reboul's 1910 Provencal cookbook, and the French Label Rouge specification leaves it out), so its presence tells you the recipe is not fixed and neither is the trigger profile
- Mild histamine liberator and mild oxalate. Neither is a headline concern at seasoning quantities, but dried herb blends do concentrate what fresh herbs carry in water-diluted form
- Moderate free glutamate, part of the savoury depth dried herbs bring. It rarely matters next to the stock, cheese or tomato in the same dish
Diet fit
Where it fits
Swap ideas
More alternatives
FAQ
Common questions about Herbes de Provence
Is herbes de Provence high in salicylates?
It grades moderate, not high. That may look surprising given that dried rosemary and dried oregano are both graded high on salicylates on their own, and both are core components. The blend sits a step lower because it is used in small, spread-out amounts and because each individual herb makes up only part of the mix. If you are strictly avoiding salicylates, treat it as a real exposure and keep the quantity small rather than assuming the blend is a free pass.
Does herbes de Provence contain lavender, and does it matter?
Often, but not traditionally. Blends sold in France usually leave lavender out, and it does not appear in classic Provencal cookery. It was added largely for the international market, where the floral note reads as authentically Provencal. For trigger tracking it matters mainly as a signal: a jar with lavender is a modern commercial recipe, so check the rest of the ingredient list too.
Is herbes de Provence low FODMAP?
The pure herb blend is, and dried herbs in general are a reliable way to add flavour on a low FODMAP diet. The catch is that many commercial jars and most seasoning rubs sold under the name include garlic or onion powder, which are high in fructans. Check the label rather than the category.
Can I use herbes de Provence with histamine intolerance?
The blend is low in histamine itself and only a mild liberator, so seasoning quantities are usually well tolerated. The more common problem in the dishes it turns up in is the rest of the plate: slow-cooked stews, aged cheese, tomato and wine all sit far higher on histamine than the herbs sprinkled over them.
References
Read the background
Ratings reflect the Triggerbites ingredient database and may vary with portion size and preparation.