Aigua de farigola amb mel (thyme infusion with honey)
A hot infusion of fresh garrigue thyme, perfumed with lemon zest and sweetened with a spoonful of honey. A comforting drink for fasting evenings and tired throats, both bitter and sweet.
A hot infusion of fresh garrigue thyme, perfumed with lemon zest and sweetened with a spoonful of honey. A comforting drink for fasting evenings and tired throats, both bitter and sweet.
When the fast left my legs shaky and my voice spent on the worksite, they brought me a tassa d'aigua de farigola, that thyme which grows thick on our dry hills. A spoonful of mel, a zest of lemon, and the plant's bitterness becomes balm. Nature does everything better than we do, you see — we only have to look and follow. I drank it in small sips, and found the strength to climb back up the scaffolding.
- •Fresh garrigue thyme (farigola) — a few sprigs (aromatic and bitter herb)
- •Spring water — one bowl (base)
- •Rosemary honey — one spoonful (softening sweetness)
- •Lemon peel — a piece (bright flavor)
Aigua de farigola amb mel (thyme infusion with honey)
A hot infusion of fresh garrigue thyme, perfumed with lemon zest and sweetened with a spoonful of honey. A comforting drink for fasting evenings and tired throats, both bitter and sweet.
Why this dish? Gaudí fasted with a rigor that ruined his health, to the point that he had to be begged to eat. Infusions of Catalan garrigue herbs — thyme, rosemary — sweetened with honey were the traditional comfort for weakened bodies: a sweetness that even an ascetic could allow himself to keep going on his worksite.
When the fast left my legs shaky and my voice spent on the worksite, they brought me a tassa d'aigua de farigola, that thyme which grows thick on our dry hills. A spoonful of mel, a zest of lemon, and the plant's bitterness becomes balm. Nature does everything better than we do, you see — we only have to look and follow. I drank it in small sips, and found the strength to climb back up the scaffolding.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh garrigue thyme (farigola) — a few sprigs (aromatic and bitter herb)
- Spring water — one bowl (base)
- Rosemary honey — one spoonful (softening sweetness)
- Lemon peel — a piece (bright flavor)
Ingredients
- Fresh thyme (or dried) — 3 sprigs (or 1 tsp dried) (herb)
- Water — 250 ml (base)
- Honey (preferably rosemary or thyme) — 1 tsp (sweetness)
- Lemon zest — 1 strip (flavor)
Method
- Bring water to a simmer, then remove from heat.
- Add thyme and lemon zest, cover, and let steep 5–7 minutes.
- Strain into a cup or bowl.
- Add honey off the heat (to preserve its aromas), stir, and drink hot in small sips.
How it was made : Herbal tisanes from the garrigue (thyme, rosemary, sage) were the domestic pharmacy of rural Catalonia: they were drunk for digestion, colds, and fatigue. Honey, the common sweetener and reputed soother, almost always accompanied these home remedies.
The contemporary twist : Served in a clear glass where the thyme sprig and zest float like an organic column — the vegetal purity dear to Gaudí's eye, who drew all his forms from nature.
Antoni Gaudí · Charactorium