A hot thyme infusion sweetened with honey and brightened with a squeeze of lemon, drunk in the evening to soothe the throat and tired body. A simple domestic remedy, both sweet and bitter.

Why this dish? Delacroix suffered from fragile health and a chronic throat condition that eventually took his life. A soothing honey herbal tea, like those prepared by 19th-century housekeepers, was the natural comfort of his studio evenings — a care that Jenny, attentive to his health, surely served him many times.

My throat, alas, has betrayed me for years, and there are evenings when even speaking costs me. Jenny then prepares me a thyme infusion, which she sweetens with a spoonful of honey and a hint of lemon. I drink it slowly, near the fire, as night falls on Place Furstenberg. It is nothing — a few herbs, a little honey — but this nothing restores my voice and soothes me better than all the doctors' drugs.

How it was made : In the 19th century, herbal teas (thyme, linden, verbena) were the first domestic remedy for sore throats and fatigue, prepared at home by women or housekeepers. Honey, a long-recognized soothing agent, was its natural ally.

The contemporary twist : Served in a clear glass where the thyme sprigs float, with a cinnamon stick as a stirrer — the simplicity of a remedy turned into a small evening ritual.

Eugène Delacroix · Charactorium