(just my imagination) black salsify in white sauce

Polish: wężymord
Lithuanian: gelteklė
Finnish: mustajuuri
French: scorsonère
Dutsch: Schorseneer
Hungarian: feketegyökér
German: Schwarzwurzel
Swedish: svartrot
Portuguese: escorcioneira



Black salsify is a long thin black root. Centuries ago, eating it was considered efficaceous against the bubonic plague and snake bites. Inside it is white and tastes similar to asparagus; it is even calles winter sparagus sometimes. This winter vegetable is quite unknown here in Poland but in Germany you can buy it in all supermarkts during the wintertime. I was experimenting a bit with this vegetable, so I can suggest you a tasty way of preparing it.

3 roots of black salsify
3 yellow carrots, parsnips or carrots
2 cloves of garlic
1 spoon of butter
1/2 cup of sour cream
salt, sugar, pepper, nutmeg

1. Wash salsify and carrots carefully. Don't peel! Put into boiled water with a sppon of sugar and half spoon of salt. When soft (after about 20 minutes) take them off from the pot and peel off under cold water. Black salsify is difficult to peel before cooking and very very easy to peel under cold water after being cooked. Cut your vegetables into about 4 cm pieces.


(here: peels and white peeled salsify)

2. Put butter and sour cream in a pot, add garlic.

Anyway, you can just cook it and serve with butter and chopped parsley green. Simple and delicious.