Scorzonera

Scorzonera hispanica · Root vegetable

40 pairings

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 firmThe all-rounder: boil, roast, or blanch and finish in butter. Peel under water into lemon water. Cooking is for flavour and texture, not safety.Everyday best

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 to look for, from rigid, black-skinned, snaps clean to rubbery, sprouting, dark-soft.

What one gives you

87%

Usable yield

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)

Preparing