Salsify is the long, slender, cream-fleshed taproot of Tragopogon porrifolius, a cool-season biennial in the daisy family (Asteraceae) — better known by its old nicknames "oyster plant" and "vegetable oyster" for the faint marine sweetness some taste in its delicate, artichoke-like flesh. A nearly-forgotten European winter root, it is peeled, held in acidulated water to stop it browning, then boiled, roasted or sautéed into a tender, mild side.