Eating Hart’s Tongue Fern (Phyllitis scolopendrium) is a bit of an unknown. There is nothing written about it in any of the currently published wild food books. However Marcus Harrison – the UK’s leading academic researcher into wild edible plants – mentioned to me that it had been eaten in Britain in the past, but as a pottage herb. Which part of the plant was used is unknown.
Some ferns contain carcinogens, I can find no record of this being the case with Hart’s Tongue Fern. Ferns also contain an enzyme called thiaminase which causes Vitamin B1 deficiency, however cooking destroys the enzyme. This is a wild edible that can be used two ways. (1) As a seasonal snack consumed in small quantities by the gastro-forager. (2) As a survival food, if/when push comes to shove.
I include this recipe because I don’t have a problem tasting and researching very esoteric plants, esoteric in the sense that they are ‘hidden’ or ‘unknown’ by most people.
You consume this plant very much at your own risk! You have been warned! Only experienced foragers who know their bodies well enough and how they react to wild edible plants should even attempt this recipe. Safety issues aside, it’s bloody gorgeous!
Ingredients
- 2 handfuls of Hart’s Tongue fiddleheads
- 1 knob of butter & a glug of olive oil
- Sea salt
Suggested Instructions
- Gently boil the Hart’s Tongue fiddleheads for 5 minutes, then drain. This hopefully removes any potential toxins.
- Melt the butter with the olive oil and gently fry the fiddleheads for about 30-60 seconds.
- Serve with crushed sea salt to taste.
Serves: 1
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I have just returned from Bhutan and one of the dishes we ate there was described as “fern” it looked similar to this dish and was delicious; they did a variant in cheese sauce as well.
A Japanese reader of my own blog (her name is Yoko) taught me the way ferns used to be prepared in japan : after having plunged the ferns in boiling water, they were soaked overnight in a mixture of water and ashes in order to remove toxins.
Last year, i had the opportunity to test this process with bracken ferns (pteridium aquilinum) and baking soda instead of ashes. The result was delicious.
PS : If you try it, don’t worry if the liquid becomes completely black, this is normal.
Bev: Bhutan? Wow, time to dig out some recipes I reckon.
Nicolas: That’s an awesome recipe, only thing, after you have soaked them overnight in water and baking soda what did you do with them?
Also why baking soda as opposed to anything else?
After having soaked them, just rinse them with fresh water so you can use them as side dish for a lot of recipies (in replacement of asparagus for example). Personnaly, i love them simply dipped in mayonnaise…
About baking soda : it seems that empirically, Japanese have come to the conclusion that a basic solution was a efficient way to drain out toxins from ferns. Baking soda was a ash “ersatz” that Yoko suggested to me. As i don’t have a fireplace in my appartment, it was much more convienient.
Thanks for that Nicolas, very interesting. It’s great to find out about how other cultures have used the wild edible plants, and then ‘culture-blend’.
I am from South Korea and fern shoots are very commonly used in everyday cooking. They are picked in spring when young and tender shoots break through the ground. They are boiled to remove any possible toxin before using it in many different dish (salad, stew, soup etc.). As it is only available in spring. Koreans found a way to dry them to store and to use all year around. I keep mine in the freezer. I feel it is under explored ingredient and hopefully see more of them around in the future!
Hi, when I was traveling through Canada in my camper, I stopped at a roadside stall, pretty sure we were near Quebec. They were selling Fiddleheads, they looked so beautiful and my partner and I were intrigued as we are both vegetarians so excited at any new veg! Funnily enough (after looking at all the above posts) I simmered it in water for about 5 mins and then cooked them in garlic and butter. Absolutely delicious.
It’s true, in Canada they sell Fiddleheads in supermarkets as a seasonal delicacy. I used to look forward to their appearance and I would panfry them in butter