Leaves fernlike, with a spicy aroma.
Introduced from Europe. Tansy leaves were used in the eighteenth century in puddings, as dyes, and as an insect repellant. These Tansy cakes were made from the young leaves of the plant, mixed with eggs, and were thought to purify the humours of the body after the limited fare of Lent. In time, this custom obtained a kind of symbolism, and Tansies, as these cakes were called, came to be eaten on Easter day as a remembrance of the bitter herbs eaten by the Jews at the Passover.