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For those of you who like exploring new and exotic foods, here's one that may pique your interest.
Last night we had the root of a plant known as the edible burdock (niupang). The taste and texture of the raw root is similar to a coconut but not creamy. It is mildly sweet, and crunchy like a daikon radish.
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This cross section looks like the classic textbook image of a dicot root system. I do believe the pink ring is the cork cambium. This segment of the burdock came from a plant my parents planted last summer. The ones you usually see in supermarkets have much slimmer roots—about 1-2 inches in diameter (this one was probably 4-5 inches)—but are probably more tender.
For those of you familiar with the taproot system, you can imagine how large this plant was before we dug it up. Here are a couple of pictures I took of it back in July 2008:
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We stir-fried it with broccoli stems and made a salad. (The salad dressing was home-made honey mustard) A delicious and fibrous meal!
Speaking of broccoli—here's a little critter I found while chopping the flowers off for the salad. It was so well camouflaged that I didn't see it until I was cutting off the stems immediately next to it. I think it's a crystalis of some sort.
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The broccoli also came from my parents' garden, and these little guys are just another sign of pesticide-free produce! I had a bug-eating experience once (I'll blog about that some other time) so I'm no longer freaked out by critters on my food. Except earwigs. (EWW)
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To anyone who has read this far—what's an interesting food experience you've had? Tried anything new recently? What were your thoughts about eating something you've never ate before?
Related to burdock:
ReplyDeleteThere is a traditional korean dish that uses burdock root. I had no idea what it tastes like raw, but the final product is sort of salty and sweet.
There was a man at my old church who would refuse to eat it, because he said that monks ate it to reduce their libido. He works for the government XD
Usually I try to be adventurous about food, since I *really* enjoy eating. However, I find that smell and presentation are super important, so if it doesn't look/smell good to me, then it's not likely that I'll eat it. I tend to regurgitate my food easily, so if it smells/tastes like alcohol or melon or is too fishy, then I can't really eat it. In the case of melon, I can't eat/drink/smell it at all.
I'd love to try it in traditional chinese/korean/japanese cooking because I really like the taste and (supposed) health benefits. We didn't really know how to cook it, but I thought it was awesome that what we ate looked like a giant log. Loss of libido, though? Hmmm... :\
ReplyDeleteI've never really given presentation much thought, but you're right—it probably affects how we perceive the food. To me, melons don't particularly have a pungent smell or taste; what is so revolting about them?