Forgotten vegetables

[Adam Balic]

I have seen quite a few Tassel[led Grape] Hyacinth in the coastal areas of Italy, so I asssume that they don't eat it here often.

This is a headless cabbage, sold as "Greens" in Scotland. I assume it is the same thing or very similar to the Medieval cabbage mentioned up-thread

[moosnsqrl]

I love kohlrabi. I am sad that no one has mentioned the lowly rutabaga. It is one of the stars in the leftover roasted root vegetables I brought for lunch today. Humble but loveable.

[anzu]

I am sad that no one has mentioned the lowly rutabaga.  It is one of the stars in the leftover roasted root vegetables I brought for lunch today.  Humble but loveable.

←

Not a forgotten vegetable at all in Germany. Every grocery store sells them. Note to self: find out the typical German ways of preparing them.

[Adam Balic]

Nor in Scotland, where they are pretty much the national vegetable.

[OnigiriFB]

I love rutabagas. An old farm lady turned me on to them. I haven't had them in years though. Think I need to make a trip to the store today...

[jayt90]

The truly forgotten vegetable I'd like to try is the relative of garlic that was a staple of Roman cooking.  Unfortunately, they were apparently never able to raise it commercially, and it supposedly became extinct due to overharvesting.  Allium, or something like that.

←

In northern climates there are allia known as wild leeks gathered in spring from wet soils, and used in the traditional 'Cock-a-Leekie' soup.

It's a lot stronger than a potato/leek potage.

Early spring streams also bring fresh watercress, and pansy flowers for salads for batter and fry.

[mizducky]

I love rutabagas. An old farm lady turned me on to them. I haven't had them in years though. Think I need to make a trip to the store today... 

←

I have enjoyed rutabagas too, both raw and cooked. But I find peeling and cutting them a major chore. At least here in the US, they show up in the market with a thick coating of wax (presumably to keep them from drying out?), and they're so dense and hard to cut when raw, I swear it's like sawing through a log sometimes. Is this just a peculiarity of rutabagas commercially produced in the US? Does anybody have any hints on how to make chopping them up easier? I'd use them more often if I knew that.

I have never had rampions (mentioned on the Dutch website), but their mention in my childhood collection of Grimm's Fairy Tales always fascinated me as a kid. (They turn up in the story of Rapunzel).

[Behemoth]

But the chiogga beetroot, heirloom tomato varieties, the black potato I had sunday, the yellow carrot, the medieval cabbage, and many other ' weird'  vegetables as listed on the farm's website, would be impossible to track down. They are simply not grown commercially.

←

That's depressing -- I hope it is not the case in Germany, though I suspect it is. As provincial as we have been feeling these past two years, living in the midwest, these vegetables are easily found at our farmer's markets, and will be very hard to give up.

edit: mizducky -- try to buy your rutabagas at farmer's markets. They are usually sold unwaxed, and tend to be a lot fresher. Even though they look like a hardy root vegetable, they really don't improve with age. Btw, I find the Oxo peelers do a great job on tough skins, very much worth the small price.

Edited December 10, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[scottie]

I was pleased to see parsley root and salsify upthread- I'd never had either until last night. I bought some of each at the Union Square greenmarket, then let them sit around, thinking I'd look up a recipe or two.

Remembered them last night when famished. So I shredded them and glazed them in butter and some lamb demiglace, then tossed with minced parsley. That was good eating!

What I'd most like to see is Angelica, an herb whose stem is candied and used in desserts. It shows up a lot in Careme.

Also, I'd really, really like to try Medlars- not a vegetable, but certainly forgotten.

I think the loss in popularity/ propagation of many of these vegetables is due to the growing dominance of agribusiness over the last century- those guys just want easy-to-grow and easy-to-ship, long-shelf-life produce. Homogeneity equals profits, especially when Monsanto can now patent corn and canola seeds.

Thank goodness for farmers' markets!

[anzu]

Also, I'd really, really like to try Medlars- not a vegetable, but certainly forgotten.

←

If loquats are ever available where you live, the taste and texture is very similar to medlars.

I grew up with loquats, then couldn't get them for years. Then I moved to Germany, and found that Turkish grocery stores sell medlars. I fell upon them with cries of joy, and was at first convinced that they were actually loquats.

Admittedly it had been a long time since I had loquats, so my memory may be deceiving me, but to me the two taste similar.

[KatieLoeb]

I really love salsify, which is used to make Schwarzwurzelsalat, a very common salad available in every heuringen in Austria. Love celeriac as well and think it works well as an addition to whipped potatoes.

My all time favorite forgotten vegetalbe has to be Crosnes, or Chinese artichokes. I've only had the pleasure of trying these once, but they were absolutely delicious. Little corkscrews of crunchy goodness with an earthy yet sweet flavor not unlike a cross between artichoke and water chestnut.

[Adam Balic]

Also, I'd really, really like to try Medlars- not a vegetable, but certainly forgotten.

←

If loquats are ever available where you live, the taste and texture is very similar to medlars.

I grew up with loquats, then couldn't get them for years. Then I moved to Germany, and found that Turkish grocery stores sell medlars. I fell upon them with cries of joy, and was at first convinced that they were actually loquats.

Admittedly it had been a long time since I had loquats, so my memory may be deceiving me, but to me the two taste similar.

←

Eh, I think that there is some confusion here. Medlars and loquats are related, but not very similar in texture of flavour, but the latter is sometimes refered to as the "Japanese Medlar", so the two get mixed up.

The Common Medlar Mespilus germanica is a small tree (very pretty actually, large white flowers, it looks a lot like a quince) and produces numerous hard brown fruit single fruit. This fruit must be bletted (experience a hard frost), frozen or left to rot before being eaten. After this process the hard fruit softens to a dark brown putty, this can be extracted and used in cookery. See here.. I agree that they are not common, but people sometimes grow the tree as an ornamental and I saw the fruit for sale in Austria recently. My parents have a tree in their orchard.

The Loquat ("Japanese Medlar") Eriobotrya japonica like warm temperatures and produces clusters of tangy fruit with large shiney brown seeds. Very refreshing in the summer.

[scottie]

My all time favorite forgotten vegetalbe has to be Crosnes, or Chinese artichokes.  I've only had the pleasure of trying these once, but they were absolutely delicious.  Little corkscrews of crunchy goodness with an earthy yet sweet flavor not unlike a cross between artichoke and water chestnut.

←

They have these at Tabla, in New York! I just externed there, and these were on the garde manger station. I was so excited, because I'd never heard of them before. They look like grubs! But they're crisp and crunchy, very reminiscent of water chestnut. Nut much flavor, IMHO. Great texture, though.

Also, Prune is serving cardoons these days. They said they order them from Baldor's.

I used to have a loquat tree in my back yard in New Orleans- they're popular as an ornamental. Once made a loquat sauce for deep-fried duck. That was good!

Is there any pleasure equal to the discovery of a previously unknown comestible?

[KatieLoeb]

My all time favorite forgotten vegetalbe has to be Crosnes, or Chinese artichokes.  I've only had the pleasure of trying these once, but they were absolutely delicious.  Little corkscrews of crunchy goodness with an earthy yet sweet flavor not unlike a cross between artichoke and water chestnut.

←

They have these at Tabla, in New York! I just externed there, and these were on the garde manger station. I was so excited, because I'd never heard of them before. They look like grubs! But they're crisp and crunchy, very reminiscent of water chestnut. Nut much flavor, IMHO. Great texture, though.

Also, Prune is serving cardoons these days. They said they order them from Baldor's.

I used to have a loquat tree in my back yard in New Orleans- they're popular as an ornamental. Once made a loquat sauce for deep-fried duck. That was good!

Is there any pleasure equal to the discovery of a previously unknown comestible?

←

Yes - they do look like grubs -ewwwww! I prefer to think of them as little corkscrews to get that maggot-like image out of my head. They are very tasty though. I had them at the Tasting Room awhile back. Glad to hear that other chefs are finding interesting ways to use them. I've personally never seen them here in Philadelphia either on a menu or at a market. Wonder if I can get them here?

[eje]

My all time favorite forgotten vegetalbe has to be Crosnes, or Chinese artichokes.  I've only had the pleasure of trying these once, but they were absolutely delicious.  Little corkscrews of crunchy goodness with an earthy yet sweet flavor not unlike a cross between artichoke and water chestnut.

←

Huh, neat. I didn't know there were any members of the mint family used for vegetables.

Another relatively obscure tropical vegetable I'd like to try growing some time is Tropaeolum tuberosum. It's a perennial climbing nasturtium which forms edible tubers. Nice flowers, too.

[miladyinsanity]

My all time favorite forgotten vegetalbe has to be Crosnes, or Chinese artichokes.  I've only had the pleasure of trying these once, but they were absolutely delicious.  Little corkscrews of crunchy goodness with an earthy yet sweet flavor not unlike a cross between artichoke and water chestnut.

←

They are vegetables?

My cousin told me they were worms!!! I never knew better!! It's never good being the youngest.

I do see them here sometimes, though.

[mrbigjas]

when i was in barcelona earlier this year, we had crosnes and the waiter told us they were sunflower roots or shoots or something. actually that's how they were described on the menu as well... hmmm.

[srhcb]

I love kohlrabi.  I am sad that no one has mentioned the lowly rutabaga.  It is one of the stars in the leftover roasted root vegetables I brought for lunch today.  Humble but loveable.

←

Here on Minnesota's Iron Range, miners of all nationalities were introduced to "pasties" by the Welsh/Cornish who came here via the earlier developed iron ore mines in Northern Michigan.

To this day, when you purchase pasties from a local bakery you are asked "with, or without?", which refers to with or without rutabaga.

SB (whose Mom learned to make them "with" from her Scots MIL)

[Adam Balic]

when i was in barcelona earlier this year, we had crosnes and the waiter told us they were sunflower roots or shoots or something.  actually that's how they were described on the menu as well...  hmmm.

←

Jerusalem artichokes are members of the sunflower family and in fact the "Jerusalem" bit is a corruption of "girosole" which is Italian for "Turns to the sun", which is "Sunflower". I wonder if there was some confusion.