The bouquet garni is a bouquet of aromatic herbs used in the kitchen to flavor and season the dishes. It is generally composed of bay leaves, thyme, parsley and rosemary, which are linked together with culinary string or wrapped in a piece of fabric. The bouquet garni is used mainly to flavor the dishes in sauce, such as pot-fires, stews and soups. It is added at the start of cooking, to give the herbs time to release their perfume, and is removed before serving, to prevent the leaves from being ingested.