Overview
About Tarragon
Tarragon is the anise-scented herb that holds classic French cooking together.
It is the reduction that defines bearnaise and one of the four fines herbes alongside parsley, chives and chervil. Which tarragon you have matters more than with most herbs: French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa) is propagated from cuttings because it rarely sets viable seed, and its oil is dominated by estragole, while the seed-grown Russian type is coarser, blunter and considerably weaker. On triggers the herb itself is quiet. Histamine grades A, and so do gluten, lactose, nickel, sulfites, nitrites and tyramine, with A across all four FODMAP subgroups, so tarragon will not add fructans to a low FODMAP plate. Salicylate sits at a moderate C, with mild B marks for histamine liberation, oxalate and free glutamate.
Sensitivities
How Tarragon scores
Watch for
What trips people up
- Moderate salicylate (C), which is the only grade on this page that asks for portioning. Fresh sprigs folded into a sauce at the end are a smaller dose than dried tarragon rubbed on by the spoonful
- Tarragon dries badly. Its estragole is highly volatile and largely evaporates, leaving a flat, hay-like powder, so cooks compensate by using two or three times as much. That habit quietly multiplies the salicylate exposure while giving back very little flavour
- The dish is usually the trigger, not the herb. Bearnaise pairs tarragon with a vinegar and wine reduction, and vinegar grades histamine C, sulfite C and tyramine B, on top of egg yolk and a lot of butter. If bearnaise reliably sets you off, work backwards through the sauce before you blame the tarragon
- Tarragon vinegar is the same problem in a bottle. You are buying the vinegar base with its histamine and sulfite grades, not a concentrated form of a low-trigger herb
- Essential oil is a different exposure class entirely. Tarragon oil is concentrated estragole and has nothing to do with the amount of leaf that goes into a chicken dish; do not read a herb grade as clearance for an oil or supplement
Diet fit
Where it fits
Swap ideas
More alternatives
FAQ
Common questions about Tarragon
Is tarragon high in histamine?
No. Tarragon grades A for histamine content and B as a histamine liberator, which puts it firmly among the safer fresh herbs for histamine intolerance. The catch is company rather than the herb: tarragon shows up most often in vinegar-based and wine-reduced sauces, and those bases carry the histamine load that the leaf does not.
What is the difference between French and Russian tarragon?
French tarragon is the culinary one. It is grown from cuttings or root division because it seldom produces viable seed, and its leaves are intensely aromatic with a sweet anise note from a high estragole content. Russian tarragon grows readily from seed, which is why seed packets labelled simply tarragon are usually Russian, but it is coarser, more bitter and much less aromatic. If a tarragon dish tastes of almost nothing, the variety is the likely reason.
Is tarragon low FODMAP?
Yes. Tarragon grades A on fructans, GOS, excess fructose and polyols, so it is free to use on a low FODMAP diet. It is a particularly good one to lean on because its anise character gives a dish a finished, restaurant-like quality without the onion or shallot that low FODMAP cooking has to skip.
Why does bearnaise bother me if tarragon is low trigger?
Because bearnaise is mostly not tarragon. The sauce starts with a vinegar and white wine reduction, and vinegar grades histamine C, sulfite C and tyramine B, then adds egg yolk and a large quantity of butter. Any of those can be the reaction. Testing tarragon on its own, stirred into a plain chicken or egg dish, separates the herb from the sauce it is famous for.
References
Read the background
Ratings reflect the Triggerbites ingredient database and may vary with portion size and preparation.