Fiddleheads

Ampelopteris spp., Asplenium spp. …

vegetable

Young fern fronds still coiled, cut close to the ground in spring before they unfurl: ostrich fern in North America, bracken in Korea, zenmai in Japan, pakô in the Philippines. In Korea, sautéed, they make gosari-namul and go into bibimbap; in Indonesia, gulai pakis simmers them in a spiced coconut sauce.

Origin

Temperate forests (Asia, North America)

Season (United States)

April to May · grows in your region

Preparation

The thin brown husk is removed, they are washed in several changes of cold water, then boiled for 15 minutes (or steamed for 10 to 12), the water thrown out: raw or undercooked, they cause digestive upset. Best kept for seasonal meals rather than everyday ones: bracken holds a compound you do not want to accumulate.

Did you know?

Their English name, fiddlehead, comes from the scroll of a violin. In New Brunswick, the village of Tide Head calls itself the “Fiddlehead Capital of the World”.