Scorzonera
Scorzonera hispanica · Root vegetable
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Scorzonera, or black salsify, is the long, slender taproot of Scorzonera hispanica, a hardy perennial in the daisy family (Asteraceae). Beneath its rough, near-black skin lies creamy-white flesh prized for a delicate, faintly sweet flavour often compared to oysters, asparagus or artichoke.
Picking a good onedrag
Rigid, black-skinned, snaps cleanRubbery, sprouting, dark-soft
Market firmEveryday bestThe all-rounder: boil, roast, or blanch and finish in butter. Peel under water into lemon water. Cooking is for flavour and texture, not safety.
SkinWhole but scuffed, a graze or two showing white
The snapFirm, bends a little before it snaps
Crown and broken endsFaces rimmed tan - that is cut flesh darkening, not rot
Smell at the breakEarthy, close to neutral
What you get from one
87%
Edible part
87 g a hundred - skin and rootlets off (USDA SR28 refuse 13%, measured on true salsify; black salsify is peeled, so likely a little more)