Nigella: a name that will forever be synonymous with sumptuous looking desserts and the husky-voiced, flirtatiously-minded chef who made them. With that in mind (and as much as we love Nige), we’re gonna turn our attentions to our flower of the week’s other name, Love in a Mist. Nigella may be sexy, but LIAM (okay, maybe not as an acronym) sounds downright romantic.
Supposedly the name is derived from an apocryphal tale relating to the death of Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. Having drowned in a river whilst leading his men on a jaunt (read: horrific, bloody crusade) through Turkey, people became convinced that he had been seduced by a watery spirt leading him to an equally watery grave. The proof? Apparently a single nigella flower blossomed on the banks of the river in the aftermath of the emperor’s demise, representing his departure from this world into the next.
Regardless, there is a wonderfully water-like quality to the Nigella. Its flowers are surrounded by a collar of oh-so-delicately threaded pinnate leaves to create a dreamlike, misty haze about this garden favourite. They are said to represent intrigue, which only compounds the allure of its physical characteristics.
