Saturday, May 24, 2008

The Fiddleheads Of Maine

Due to our impeccable timing, we were able to try this delicacy of Maine, right in the height of the season; in the early spring during April and May.

Fiddleheads are the young coiled fern leaves of the ostrich fern. Nearly all ferns have fiddleheads, but those of the ostrich fern are unlike any other.

You can read more Fiddlehead Facts
here. Thanks to Eddie's fabulous cell phone skill, we were able to capture the Fiddleheads in all their steamed glory, just before being doused in butter and eaten like the creepy little veggies they are.

They are often compared to asparagus, but I found their flavor to be very unique. Not unpleasant, but not really identifiable either. So I guess that's why people say they taste like asparagus. The coiled part of the leaf was a little strange, sort of like eating a worm, but the stem had a nice crunch to it.


If I were to make them, I'd have to saute them in garlic and olive oil. You can't go wrong with that preparation!

1 comment:

Scott said...

Looks like a pile of condoms! lol
Hope they tasted better than that.