sprig of rosemary

Meaning

A 'sprig' is a small stem or twig with leaves on it, taken from a plant or herb. A 'sprig of rosemary' refers to a single small stem of the rosemary herb, which is often added whole to dishes like roasts or stews to impart flavor and then removed before serving.

Examples

• Toss a sprig of rosemary into the pan while basting the steak with butter.

  Toss a sprig of rosemary into the pan while basting the steak with butter.

• Garnish the gin and tonic with a fresh sprig of rosemary.

  Garnish the gin and tonic with a fresh sprig of rosemary.

• I roasted the potatoes with olive oil, salt, and a sprig of rosemary.

  I roasted the potatoes with olive oil, salt, and a sprig of rosemary.

• Put a sprig of rosemary inside the chicken before roasting it in the oven.

  Put a sprig of rosemary inside the chicken before roasting it in the oven.

• A single sprig of rosemary can add a wonderful woody aroma to your tomato sauce.

  A single sprig of rosemary can add a wonderful woody aroma to your tomato sauce.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Put a branch of rosemary in the soup.

  ✓ Put a sprig of rosemary in the soup.

  'Branch' is used for large trees. For small herb stems, 'sprig' is the correct culinary term.

• ✗ The recipe needs a leaf of rosemary.

  ✓ The recipe needs a sprig of rosemary.

  Rosemary leaves are very small needles; recipes almost always call for a 'sprig' (the whole small stem) rather than individual leaves.

Related Expressions

Practice

• For a beautiful presentation, place a ___ on top of the roasted lamb.

  💡 A small stem of a fragrant, pine-like herb.

  Show answer

  sprig of rosemary

• Drop a ___ into the olive oil bottle to infuse it with herbal flavor.

  💡 A small twig of a woody herb with needle-like leaves.

  Show answer

  sprig of rosemary