Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Common Hogweed along with all the Common Hogweed containing recipes presented on this site, with 16 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 Common Hogweed as a major wild food ingredient.

Common Hogweed, Heracleum sphondylium is a biennial herbaceous plant of in the Apiaceae (carrot) family, also known as Cow parsley and Elrot. It grows to about 2m, supported by stout and succulent hollow stems. the leaves are long and divided into large dark green lobes. Between June and October it bears the classic white umbels common to the carrot family.

The species is actually composed of three sub-species: Heracleum sphondylium, Heracleum sphondylium montanum and Heracleum sphondylium sibricum. It is only Heracleum sphondylium montanum that contains potentially carcinogenic furanocoumarins. The fresh foliage of this species can also cause dermatitis in those susceptible. However, Heracleum sphondylium sibricum is not native to the UK, being restricted to North America and Western Asia.

It is a common and invasive plant in the British Isles and is typically found in woodland, by roadsides and at the base of hedges. It is smaller than it's close cousin the Giant Hogweed Heracleum mantegazzianum which also has more crenellated leaves. However, the sap of giant hogweed can cause extreme photodermatitis when in contact with the skin. Unless you are completely certain of the identification of Common Hogweed, do not pick.

However, common hogweed shoots, if picked before the shoots have fully opened make one of the best wild vegetables that you can forage for. The stems should be cooked whole in boiling water with butter and seasoning. Cook for eight minutes then serve with butter and seasoning as a vegetable. They have a mild asparagus-like flavour. Young leaves are also edible and can either be steamed, or chopped and used sparingly in salads. However, one of the least known facts about common hogweed is that the flower buds are edible. In fact they look like miniature broccoli florets and only need to be lightly-steamed before consumption. They are also excellent in stir-fries. The green seeds are also edible and make an excellent addition to chutneys. Use them sparingly, as they have rich, pungent flavour reminiscent of coriander, cardamon and orange peel (though they do have some bitter undertones).

The mature seeds are milder than the green seeds and can be ground and used as a spice for flavouring soups, stews and even potato salads. Note that the seeds of the very closely related and similarly flavoured heracleum persicum are known as golpar in Persian cuisine and used dried in both sweet and savoury dishes. These days I collect common hogweed seeds as a spice and it's always a component of my mulling spice blend and I invariably add it to my home-made garam masala. In the past, the leaf stems used to be tied in bundles and dried in the sun until they turn yellow. As a result of this a sweet sugary substance formed on the dried stems and this was considered a delicacy.

The root, when scraped and boiled taste rather like swede (rutabaga) and can be served like potatoes. The unpeeled stem can be used when young, or just the inner tissue of older stems can be used, before the plants flower. For people not used to the flavour, they are best cooked in two changes of water when they make a tasty celery-like vegetable. The dried base of the plant and ashes from the burnt leaves were once used as a salt substitute.

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