Though popular in French and Croatian cooking, other cultures are still trying to figure it out. Ground Sage has a sweet, but herbaceous and very savory flavor that’s reminiscent of celery, eucalyptus, parsley, and a bit of pine. The difference between rubbed sage and ground sage leaves: rubbed is simply crumbled apart and has a lighter, downy texture. Ground is a powder. Ground sage is great for many recipes when you need it to lend a bit of background flavor, but if you need a pronounced sage flavor or want a unique texture, then use rubbed.