Salsify is best known for the classic, traditional preparation found in grandma’s kitchen. Yet there are so many more ways to showcase this versatile vegetable in recipes—and even to take a delightfully rebellious approach by building an entire recipe around it. In this blog post, you’ll get to know this (still far too little-known) seasonal vegetable.

Season and Storage

Nicknames like “winter stick” and “winter root” already hint at it: the salsify is one of the vegetables available in Belgium during thewinter months. However, salsify is already in full swingas early as Octoberand remains popular through at least February. This vegetable will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator. In a cool,drystorage area, it will keep for 2 to 3 weeks.⁽¹⁾

Salsify originated in the Mediterranean region. From there, the trend spread to Europe in the^16thcentury.⁽²⁾

Flavor

Salsify has a mild, buttery flavor that pairs well with many other ingredients. It also absorbs flavors from its surroundings, so you can steer its flavor in a particular direction by adding your own aromatics (such as fresh herbs, ginger, star anise, bay leaves…). 

Applications

Both the tubers and the root of the salsify are edible. 

The well-known “classic fermentation” and how it affects the flavor

To do this, let the peeled salsify simmer in milk with a bay leaf and a small clove of garlic for as long as it takes to cook. To prevent all the liquid from evaporating, it’s best to cover the pot with a lid or parchment paper. 

This method of preparation gives the salsify a buttery-soft texture. The sweet flavor of the milk is clearly detectable in the final result. The aroma of classically cooked salsify is a blend of, on the one hand, the natural scent of the salsify itself—which is also noticeable while peeling—and, on the other hand, the scent of warm milk. This aroma is somewhat reminiscent of a pot of fresh oatmeal (in the sense of oats and milk). The color changes to off-white, the same color category as before cooking, but in a slightly less vivid shade.

Untapped Potential

You can also eat salsifyraw—for example, diced in a salad. You cansautéor steam this vegetable for a hot dish. It takes about half an hour tosteam it. It’s also deliciousau gratin, like endive, orgrilledin the oven (180°C).  Allow about 20 minutes for this. Recently, I did something a little crazy with raw salsify: Imarinated it. Below, I’ll share my experience. 

By marinating the salsify in a mixture of several very spicy seasonings, it took on a very distinct and pungent flavor. These included chili pepper, ginger, soy sauce, lemongrass, blood orange… I had cut the salsify into small pieces, just as you would forceviche. This combination of spices was inspired by a recipe fromthis site.⁽³⁾

After fifteen minutes, these ingredients had fully infused theirflavorinto the salsify, resulting in a remarkable combination of flavors. As seen in the photo, the salsify turnedpink. This was due to the juice of the blood orange, which already had a deep reddish-pink color. The aroma of the ceviche clearly featured notes of ginger and citrus fruits. Thefresh scentof lemongrass was also detectable in the aroma of this salsify ceviche. 

The salsify was marinated. With this cooking technique, the acids from ingredients such as citrus fruits and the salt from soy sauce cause thetextureof a dish to change. In vegetables, an acidic environment primarily causes them to stay crispier. The acid makes the carbohydrates in the vegetables less soluble, sothey remain crispy longer. This is also evident in the texture of the salsify. They are crunchy but no longer feel like they’re raw.

Tips for Cooking with Salsify

Salsify often has quite a bit of sand on it, and its juice is pretty sticky. But all these problems can be solved 😉  

Option 1 is to use a small brush to remove as much sand as possible before peeling. Rolling it in a paper towel can also help. Then peel it, and to minimize your dishwashing, place the peeled salsify and the peels directly into a separate bowl. 

Option 2 is to brush off the worst of the sand as described above and then rinse them under lukewarm water. Peel them while they're still wet, because then the juice won't really stick anymore. 

Like artichokes and apples, salsify tends to turn a little browner when you peel it. You can stop or prevent this process by soaking it in water with a little acid, such as lemon or lime. 

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Sources

(1) Salsify. (n.d.). Colruyt Lekker Koken. https://www.colruyt.be/nl/lekker-koken/ingredienten/groenten/schorseneren

(2)Salsify: Everything About This Delicious Forgotten Vegetable – LandIdee. (February 11, 2022). LandIdee. https://www.landidee.nl/moestuin/schorseneren/

(3) Salsify ceviche | Gastronomixs. (October 10, 2023). Gastronomixs. https://www.gastronomixs.com/nl/componenten/4618-ceviche-van-schorseneer