The image, above, shows the full Wild Rocket plant(Diplotaxis tenufolia) in flower, left. Also shown are
close-ups of the edible leaves (top right) and the edible
flowers, (bottom right)..
| Common Name: Wild Rocket |
| Scientific Name: Diplotaxis tenufolia |
| Other Names: Lincoln Weed, Sand Mustard, Wall Rocket and Perennial Wall-rocket |
| Family: Cruciferae |
| Range: Southern and central Europe, possibly including Britain |
Physical Characteristics
Diplotaxis tenufolia is a hardy Perennial plant, growing to 60cm (2 ft) by 75m (3 ft) in size. It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. The plant flowers from May to September and seeds ripen from June to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by insects.
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| Edible Parts: Leaves, Flowers, Seeds |
 Edibility Rating: 5 
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 Known Hazards: None Known.
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Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Wild Rocket along with all the Wild Rocket containing recipes presented on this site, with 2 recipes in total.
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Wild Rocket as a major wild food ingredient.
Wild rocket, Diplotaxis tenufolia (also known as Lincoln Weed, Sand Mustard, Wall Rocket and Perennial Wall-rocket) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Brassicaceae (cabbage) family of flowering plants, originally native to southern and central Europe.
It is an almost hairless perennial, forming a dense bushy rosette with erect branched stems usually 20 to 50 cm high. It displays small bright yellow flowers on short flowering stems from August to October. Each flower has only four petals, spread out in the shape of a Maltese cross. The leaves are lance shaped, up to 15 cm long with irregular lobes (sometimes they are unlobed). The fruit is a pod from one to four cm long by five mm diameter with a small beak-shaped end, the seeds are arranged in two rows. The part nearest the stem opens first, shedding seed. Wall Rocket forms a long tap root which utilises water from deep underground. This enables it to survive and grow throughout even the driest summer. In winter the top growth dies back until the following spring.
Though the leaves are similar in shape, it should not be confused with rocket/arugula (Eruca sativa), the common garden salad leaf. Though it is true that the young leaves of both plants look similar and even have a similar flavour profile, they are different species. In fact, the leaves of wall rocket are typically more peppery than garden rocket.
Wild rocket leaves can be used in salads, and can also be used as a flavouring for soups, stews and sauces. In this respect, wall rocket is more of a herb than common rocket. The plants were once common across Europe and were used as a food and medicinally during the Middle and Elizabethan ages. Subsequently they fell out of favour, but are becoming a feature of gardens again with the growing popularity of Italian cuisine.
Like the related cresses, horseradishes and mustards, the flavour of rocket leaves is dominated by isothiocyanates. The most important compounds were found to be 4-Methylthiobutyl isothiocyanate and 5-Methylthiopentyl isothiocyanate; similar ω-methylthioalkyl isothiocyanates are found in wasabi.
The English word rocket and its cognates in other European languages can all be traced back to Latin eruca, which referred to an early type of cabbage. The epithet 'wall' represents the plant's ability to grow in poor soils with very little moisture. Indeed, wall rocket can be seeded on walls and will grow happily there, providing a salad crop where nothing else will survive. The plant is also very productive, yielding leaves from early spring until early autumn.
It should be noted that, in common with many members of the cabbage family, if it heated for any prolonged period rocket leaves quickly loses all pungency, but acquires a characteristic, rather subtle flavour that fits well with certain dishes, particularly Italian pasta or risotto dishes. In such applications, however, it should be noted that one needs a lot of rocket to impart a noticeable flavour, and one should keep the heating period as brief as possible. Fresh rocket leaves, added to a pizza just as it comes out of the oven is also an excellent finishing touch.
The flowers and flower heads are also edible (they are good dipped in tempura batter and deep fried), as are the seeds, which were, historically, used as a mustard substitute. They are small but can be more readily collected if you tie paper bags around the maturing seed heads (or if you collect the seed heads when not quite ripe and invert into a plastic bag).
In Britain, wild rocket/perennial wall rocket can be commonly found in the south of England, particularly in Cornwall, Devon and along the South Coast. It is rarer elsewhere, though more frequent on the west coast.
It is hotly debated whether wild rocket is a British native or not, especially given its restricted geographical spread. Though increased use of this herb in Italian-style cookery means that it is being planted much more commonly in gardens. As a result it is more likely to increase in frequency as a garden escapee particularly on the verges of towns and cities.
Whether a native or not, it can be found as a wild food in Britain (particularly in the southern counties). As such, it has a place in this list of Wild Foods.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Wild Rocket as a major wild food ingredient.
Wild rocket, Diplotaxis tenufolia (also known as Lincoln Weed, Sand Mustard, Wall Rocket and Perennial Wall-rocket) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Brassicaceae (cabbage) family of flowering plants, originally native to southern and central Europe.
It is an almost hairless perennial, forming a dense bushy rosette with erect branched stems usually 20 to 50 cm high. It displays small bright yellow flowers on short flowering stems from August to October. Each flower has only four petals, spread out in the shape of a Maltese cross. The leaves are lance shaped, up to 15 cm long with irregular lobes (sometimes they are unlobed). The fruit is a pod from one to four cm long by five mm diameter with a small beak-shaped end, the seeds are arranged in two rows. The part nearest the stem opens first, shedding seed. Wall Rocket forms a long tap root which utilises water from deep underground. This enables it to survive and grow throughout even the driest summer. In winter the top growth dies back until the following spring.
Though the leaves are similar in shape, it should not be confused with rocket/arugula (Eruca sativa), the common garden salad leaf. Though it is true that the young leaves of both plants look similar and even have a similar flavour profile, they are different species. In fact, the leaves of wall rocket are typically more peppery than garden rocket.
Wild rocket leaves can be used in salads, and can also be used as a flavouring for soups, stews and sauces. In this respect, wall rocket is more of a herb than common rocket. The plants were once common across Europe and were used as a food and medicinally during the Middle and Elizabethan ages. Subsequently they fell out of favour, but are becoming a feature of gardens again with the growing popularity of Italian cuisine.
Like the related cresses, horseradishes and mustards, the flavour of rocket leaves is dominated by isothiocyanates. The most important compounds were found to be 4-Methylthiobutyl isothiocyanate and 5-Methylthiopentyl isothiocyanate; similar ω-methylthioalkyl isothiocyanates are found in wasabi.
The English word rocket and its cognates in other European languages can all be traced back to Latin eruca, which referred to an early type of cabbage. The epithet 'wall' represents the plant's ability to grow in poor soils with very little moisture. Indeed, wall rocket can be seeded on walls and will grow happily there, providing a salad crop where nothing else will survive. The plant is also very productive, yielding leaves from early spring until early autumn.
It should be noted that, in common with many members of the cabbage family, if it heated for any prolonged period rocket leaves quickly loses all pungency, but acquires a characteristic, rather subtle flavour that fits well with certain dishes, particularly Italian pasta or risotto dishes. In such applications, however, it should be noted that one needs a lot of rocket to impart a noticeable flavour, and one should keep the heating period as brief as possible. Fresh rocket leaves, added to a pizza just as it comes out of the oven is also an excellent finishing touch.
The flowers and flower heads are also edible (they are good dipped in tempura batter and deep fried), as are the seeds, which were, historically, used as a mustard substitute. They are small but can be more readily collected if you tie paper bags around the maturing seed heads (or if you collect the seed heads when not quite ripe and invert into a plastic bag).
In Britain, wild rocket/perennial wall rocket can be commonly found in the south of England, particularly in Cornwall, Devon and along the South Coast. It is rarer elsewhere, though more frequent on the west coast.
It is hotly debated whether wild rocket is a British native or not, especially given its restricted geographical spread. Though increased use of this herb in Italian-style cookery means that it is being planted much more commonly in gardens. As a result it is more likely to increase in frequency as a garden escapee particularly on the verges of towns and cities.
Whether a native or not, it can be found as a wild food in Britain (particularly in the southern counties). As such, it has a place in this list of Wild Foods.
References:
[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
The alphabetical list of all Wild Rocket recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 2 recipes in total:
Page 1 of 1
| Gnocchi Basilico con Salsa al Pomodoro e Rucola (Basil Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Wild Rocket) Origin: Italy | Risoto o Ddail Poethion a Pherlysiau Gwyllt (Risotto of Nettles and Wild Herbs) Origin: Welsh |
Page 1 of 1