Live and learn (4)
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Polygon a few weeks ago gave me ‘skirret,’ which is a lovely word in its own right. It sounds as though it should be something to do with cooking, like a skillet.
In fact, skirret, or Sium sisarum is a root vegetable belonging to the same family as carrots and parsnips. The name comes from the Middle English ‘skirwhit’ or ’skirwort’ which means ‘white root.’
The Scots call it ‘crummock,’ while the Danes know it as ‘sukkerrod.’ In Dutch it is called ‘suikerwortel’ and its German name is ‘Zuckerwurzel,’ which means sugar root.
It develops a mass of bright white roots which are best harvested during the winter, before the plant is active. If left until spring, the roots may become woody, more fibrous and covered in hairs. Skirret is prepared and cooked in a similar fashion to other root plants, or it can be grated and eaten raw in salad.
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
It was a popular vegetable before potatoes became available to Britain in the late 16th century. However, although it is easy to cultivate, it doesn’t keep well, and is of unpredictable size and quality. In addition, it is awkward to clean. It can be grown as an ornamental plant, producing clusters of small white flowers in the summer.
How interesting! Those flowers are really pretty
ReplyDeleteThat looks like wild carrot. I wonder if they're related?
ReplyDeleteThey look like hard work for a small serve of food. Perhaps they could be commercially prepared like frozen beans.
ReplyDeleteDon't know this vegetable-Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI learn something new every time I visit your blog!
ReplyDeleteSkirret is a wonderful word. I'm thinking of all sorts of ways to use it, and none of them have anything to do with the real meaning. .
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie