Crosne
Stachys affinis · Root vegetable
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The crosne (Stachys affinis), also called Chinese artichoke or Japanese artichoke, is the small ivory tuber of a perennial herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae). Knobbly, segmented and spiral-shaped, it is eaten as a crisp, sweet-nutty root vegetable prized in French and Japanese cooking.
Picking a good onedrag
Just lifted, ivory and snappingShrivelled, browned, soft in the rings
Market freshEveryday bestThe all-rounder: raw, blanched a minute, sauteed in butter, or pickled. Scrub the soil out of the rings first. The sugar here is stachyose, which digests poorly, so a big raw plateful bloats some people.
SkinCream to pale beige, a few tan scuffs
The snapFirm, snaps under a little pressure
The tipsA tip or two dried and browned
Smell at the scrubbed skinMostly plain earth, only faintly sweet