Have any of you tried Fiddleheads?
- Thread starter L_B
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Caribbean girl
Guru
I have never heard of fiddleheads or seen them before. I do not know if we get them here where I live. From what I am seeing in the photo here, they resemble string beans. Are they anything like string beans? What do they taste like? I will have to ask some people around here if they have ever seen them or if they know about them. They seem like something I could use though. I like most vegetables.
Dianemwj
Veteran
I've never eaten fiddleheads because I wouldn't know where to get them. I have heard of them though. They feature prominately in a Stephen King book; The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.
So what do they taste like?
So what do they taste like?
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I had to google this one because I suspected I knew what they were from the photo, but I had no idea they were edible, In fact I thought they were poisonous and they may well be in the UK, but apparently they are not in US. They are fern heads before they uncoil and they are a New England delicacy and must be picked in the 2 week window before the fern head unravels. Digging a touch deeper reveals that it is not just any old fern that can be used (so that confirms what I thought). It is the ostrish fern that produces these edible shoots which have a unique texture but taste a bit like asparagus or okra (so similar to using hop tips instead of asparagus then). Fiddleheads should only be consumed thoroughly cooked - again confirming the poisonous bit once they get past this stage.
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digging a bit deeper, the following ferns can be used (from wiki, so please double check!) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiddlehead_fern
- Western sword fern, Polystichum munitum, "king of northwest ferns."[3]
- Bracken, Pteridium aquilinum, found worldwide (Health Warning)
- Ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris, found in northern regions worldwide, and the central/eastern part of North America (Health Warning)
- Lady fern, Athyrium filix-femina, throughout most of the temperate northern hemisphere.
- Cinnamon fern or buckhorn fern, Osmunda cinnamomea, found in the eastern parts of North America, although not so palatable as ostrich fern.
- Royal fern, Osmunda regalis, found worldwide
- Midin, or Stenochlaena palustris, found in Sarawak, where it is prized as a local delicacy
- Zenmai or flowering fern, Osmunda japonica, found in East Asia
- Vegetable fern, Athyrium esculentum, found throughout Asia and Oceania
Berties
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Don't believe they are grown or foraged in the UK ,I just recognise it as a fern shoot,
cupcakechef
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I'd never heard of them or seen them until this thread!
They look really interesting though - quite decorative! From a distance they looked almost like zucchini noodles!
They look really interesting though - quite decorative! From a distance they looked almost like zucchini noodles!
They are not like string beans. They have a more bitter tasting, more like the taste of leafy greens or even asparagus but stronger flavoured . It is hard to describe. It has a unique taste. It seems that you either love them or you hate them, there is no in between. lol
Well if you ever want to put them on your restaurant menu, you can get them (imported but fresh) here: http://www.finefoodspecialist.co.uk/fiddleheads-fresh-48-hour-leadtime/
It says they are only available April/May though.
It says they are only available April/May though.