When it comes to baking, the difference between English and French lavender is absolutely crucial. Using the wrong type can completely ruin a baked good by imparting a harsh, bitter, or medicinal flavor.
The primary distinction lies in their flavor profile and aromatic compounds, particularly their camphor content.
English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) in Baking
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Flavor Profile (THE ONLY CHOICE for Baking): This is the culinary lavender and the one you should always use for baking. Its flavor is sweet, delicate, purely floral, and subtly herbaceous. It has a very low concentration of camphor, which is the compound responsible for a strong, medicinal, or pine-like taste. This allows it to infuse baked goods with a beautiful, gentle floral note without any bitterness or soapiness.
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Aroma: Matches its flavor – sweet, clean, and calming. This aroma translates beautifully into baked goods.
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Recommended Use in Baking:
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Highly recommended and the standard for all lavender baking.
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Perfect for incorporating into shortbread, cookies, cakes, scones, muffins, ice cream, custards, and even glazes or sugar.
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If a baking recipe simply calls for "lavender," it almost always means English lavender.
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Identification for Baking:
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Smell Test (Crucial!): Gently rub a flower or leaf. It should smell distinctly sweet and purely floral, like a pleasant perfume or mild tea. It should not smell strong, sharp, or like Vicks VapoRub.
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Leaves: Have smooth, untoothed edges.
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Flowers: Appear as short, plump spikes, and most importantly, have NO large, prominent "bunny ears" or flag-like petals on top.
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Popular Culinary Cultivars: 'Munstead', 'Hidcote', 'Maillette', 'Vera'.
French Lavender (Lavandula dentata) in Baking
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Flavor Profile (AVOID for Baking): French lavender has a significantly higher concentration of camphor and other pungent compounds. This gives it a stronger, more herbaceous, often slightly rosemary-like, bitter, or medicinal flavor. When baked, these harsh notes can become concentrated and very unpleasant, making your baked goods taste like soap, chemicals, or an antiseptic.
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Aroma: Matches its flavor – pungent, herbaceous, and noticeably camphorous.
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Recommended Use in Baking:
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Generally NOT recommended for any baking application.
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It is primarily grown for its ornamental value and long blooming season, not for consumption.
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Identification for Baking:
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Smell Test: If you rub a leaf or flower and it smells strongly of Vicks VapoRub, menthol, or is aggressively herbaceous and not sweetly floral, it is likely French lavender and should be avoided for baking.
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Leaves: The most definitive visual clue: they have visibly toothed or serrated edges (like tiny saw teeth).
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Flowers: Slender spikes with small, wispy bracts, but not the large, prominent "bunny ears" of Spanish lavender.
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