(Taraxacum officinale— Family Compositae)
Dandelion leaves, lion’s tooth
The dandelion is one of the most widespread wild plants worldwide which is either loved as a vegetable or hated as a noxious weed.
Closely related to chicory and endive, the dandelion is native to Europe and Asia; but there are also native American species thanks, in part, to their widly travelled airborne seeds.
The name dandelion is derived from the French “dent de lion”, which means ‘lion’s tooth’ in reference to the plant’s jagged green leaves. It has other names as well: cow parsnip, probably because the long roots
resemble parsnips and can be cooked as such and fever grass, a name used by the Irish because of its ability to ease heartburn and aid in digestion. Another name, pessenlit, a French word referring to its diuretic properties, also found an English equivalent, pissabed. The root, as well as the leaves, has medicinal value, especially as a blood cleanser and for improving liver function.
Dandelion greens are one of the most nutritious greens you can eat – PROVIDING they are grown in a garden that does not use any chemicals and not gathered by the roadside, in parks or golf courses, dog walking areas, etc., where they are sprayed with all manner of pollutants.
Ounce for ounce, they have more calcium than milk and as much iron as spinach. They are also a strong source of beta carotene, vitamins B, C, and E, fiber, magnesium, potassium, and iron.
Dandelion greens have been used to enhance liver function and may prevent or cure gallstones. They have also been used to remove toxic wastes from the blood and to clear up chronic skin complaints and are also considered an effective laxative.
The European dandelion became common in North America with the arrival of white settlers, but the Indians also began using it as a food and for its medicinal qualities.
Cultivation of the plant began around the middle of the 19th century in France and Britain. Roots were taken up and planted in dark cellars to produce a blanched form similar to the French cultivation of chicory. Although still known in France, the practice has all but left Britain.
In the US, there is a small market for the greens. Through selection and branching, the cultivated forms
are not as bitter as the wild ones.
The roots can be cooked and added to soups and salads. They were one of the many things tried as substitutes for coffee in the 19th century. One unusual product is from France.
Cramaillotte
is a brownish-orange jelly made from dandelion flowers, with added orange, lemon, and sugar; and was originally made as a medicine, but now enjoyed simply for its fine flavour. It is made by a specialist at Quarré-les-Tombes (Yonne), a village nestled among fields of wild dandelions.
Two commercial cultivars are called Thick-Leaved and Arlington. They are all generally larger, milder, and more tender than the wild varieties and more closely resemble some of the chicories.
Cultivated dandelions are much longer than the common form, with some varieties reaching eighteen inches in length. There is a newly cultivated variety that has red stalks and red veins running through the green leaves. Both are edible, as are the roots, flowers, and unopened buds.
Since dandelion greens have the same bitter flavour as chicory, it becomes an acquired taste but the bitterness improves digestion. Cooking will remove some of the bitterness. The paler center leaves have a milder flavour, as does the crown of unopened buds.
Dandelions can be chopped and used in salads or steamed as a side dish. Dandelions rank high among the honey-producing plants because of its bounteous stores of pollen and nectar. In fact, it has been observed that no fewer than ninety-three kinds of insects help themselves to this rich storehouse. Therefore, it is wise to wash the product well before using.
Dandelion chicories are generally known a catalogna-type, Italian dandelion, and asparagus chicory,
as well as specific names of their cultivars like Cicoria Catalogna, San Pasquale, Red-Ribbed, Puntarella.
Most American dandelion growers cultivate San Pasquale and Catalogn chicories, but call them dandelion greens, which are similar.
Catalogna,
Catalonia, or Catalan chicory looks and tastes like dandelion, having comparatively large, deep-cut dark green leaves with slim white ribs and a distinctly bitter taste.
Smaller varieties are now available that have been raised hydroponically and are more tender and milder than traditional types.
Red-ribbed Catalogna, or Red Dandelion,
is one of the few red leafy vegetables that keeps its crimson colour when cooked.
Puntarella
is a type of catalogna chicory that is prepared differently than other forms of chicory. Catalogna chicories have several forms: slim and open or barrel-like with leaves that are pale, smooth-edged, wide and deeply notched, or anything in between.
