Spignel (Meum athamanticum), showing the whole plant withclose-ups of the root, fronds, seed head and mature seeds.
| Common Name: Spignel |
| Scientific Name: Meum athamanticum |
| Other Names: Meum, Baldmoney, Bachelor's Button, Bad Money, Bald Money, Bartrams Cornflower, Bawd Money, Bearwort, Beast's Wort, Meu, Mew, Spiknel |
| Family: Apiaceae |
| Range: Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to Spain, Germany and the Balkans. |
Physical Characteristics
Bellis perennis is a hardy Evergreen perennial, 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in). It is hardy to UK zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile.
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| Edible Parts: Root, Leaves, Seeds |
 Edibility Rating: 3 
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 Known Hazards: None Known.
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Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Spignel along with all the Spignel 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 Spignel as a major wild food ingredient.
Spignel (Meum athamanticum) is a glabrous, highly aromatic (aroma compound), herbaceous perennial plant and a member of the Apiaceae family. It's the only species in the genus Meum.
The plant is native to Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to Spain, Germany and the Balkans. It is a plant associated with grassland, often on limestone, in mountain districts of Western Europe and Central Europe, its range extending as far south as the Sierra Nevada (Spain) of Andalucia, and central Bulgaria in the Balkans. It is not a very common plant in the UK, being found in only a few localities in Northern England and North Wales although a little more plentiful in Scotland – where it is found as far north as Argyll and Aberdeenshire.
The plant has a thick rhizome and grows to a height of 30-90 cm. The flowers are large, blue or pink, and have a diameter of 4-5 cm. The plant's root, the rhizome, is edible and has been used in traditional medicine. It has been used to treat various ailments such as indigestion, fever, colds and flu. The plant is also used as a spice, particularly in the cuisine of the Alps.
Historically Spignel has been cultivated in Scotland (where the name derives), where the roots were eaten as a parsnip-like root vegetable. The delicate, feathery foliage has been used as a condiment and in the preparation of a wide variety of home remedies as a diuretic, to control menstruation and uterine complaints and to treat catarrh, hysteria and stomach ailments. The roots, seeds and feathery leaves are edible, but most typically used as herbs/spices.
Cultivation in Scotland means that the plant's roots have a milder and more attractive flavour. Elsewhere it's typically recommended that the root is used as a spice. The pant does, however, adapt well to cultivation.
The scent of the roots of Meum has much in common with those of two other edible/medicinal umbellifers: Levisticum officinale (lovage) and Angelica archangelica (angelica), while the aromatic flavour of Meum leaves is somewhat like Melilot [sweet clover] (which owes its aroma of new-mown hay to coumarin (which is why the leaves can be used as a substitute for curry leaves in curry).
Spignel/Meum represents a lost and forgotten culinary/medicinal plant that deserves to be more recognised. The dried seeds make and interesting spice with a little of the characteristics of cumin.
[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 Spignel as a major wild food ingredient.
Spignel (Meum athamanticum) is a glabrous, highly aromatic (aroma compound), herbaceous perennial plant and a member of the Apiaceae family. It's the only species in the genus Meum.
The plant is native to Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to Spain, Germany and the Balkans. It is a plant associated with grassland, often on limestone, in mountain districts of Western Europe and Central Europe, its range extending as far south as the Sierra Nevada (Spain) of Andalucia, and central Bulgaria in the Balkans. It is not a very common plant in the UK, being found in only a few localities in Northern England and North Wales although a little more plentiful in Scotland – where it is found as far north as Argyll and Aberdeenshire.
The plant has a thick rhizome and grows to a height of 30-90 cm. The flowers are large, blue or pink, and have a diameter of 4-5 cm. The plant's root, the rhizome, is edible and has been used in traditional medicine. It has been used to treat various ailments such as indigestion, fever, colds and flu. The plant is also used as a spice, particularly in the cuisine of the Alps.
Historically Spignel has been cultivated in Scotland (where the name derives), where the roots were eaten as a parsnip-like root vegetable. The delicate, feathery foliage has been used as a condiment and in the preparation of a wide variety of home remedies as a diuretic, to control menstruation and uterine complaints and to treat catarrh, hysteria and stomach ailments. The roots, seeds and feathery leaves are edible, but most typically used as herbs/spices.
Cultivation in Scotland means that the plant's roots have a milder and more attractive flavour. Elsewhere it's typically recommended that the root is used as a spice. The pant does, however, adapt well to cultivation.
The scent of the roots of Meum has much in common with those of two other edible/medicinal umbellifers: Levisticum officinale (lovage) and Angelica archangelica (angelica), while the aromatic flavour of Meum leaves is somewhat like Melilot [sweet clover] (which owes its aroma of new-mown hay to coumarin (which is why the leaves can be used as a substitute for curry leaves in curry).
Spignel/Meum represents a lost and forgotten culinary/medicinal plant that deserves to be more recognised. The dried seeds make and interesting spice with a little of the characteristics of cumin.
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 Spignel recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 2 recipes in total:
Page 1 of 1
| Pork and Wild Food Curry Origin: Britain | Wild Masala Origin: Britain |
Page 1 of 1