Dandelions are called pissenlits in French. That's strange, because the English term dandelion is based on the French phrase dent-de-lion — lion's teeth — which is what their leaves supposedly look like. Pissenlit means "pee in the bed" and the name has to do with the plants' diuretic effects. The name is actually applied to many different plants. There are many species and subspecies of pissenlits. I took these photos a week ago. The slide show runs for less that 1½ minutes.
It's easy to ignore or even disdain the poor pissenlit. It's invasive. It's ordinary. You don't want them to make your lawn unsightly. Around Saint-Aignan, there are pissenlits on the edges of the vineyards and even up and down the rows of vines. They are hosts to beetles and butterflies. All parts of the dandelion plant are edible by humans. The tender young leaves, picked before the flowers appear on the plant, make a good salad. The flower buds can be treated like capers. Dandelion wine is made with the flowers' petals. Dandelion roots can be eaten raw, boiled, or sautéed. The French expression il mange les pissenlits par les racines ("he's eating dandelion roots") describes a man who is dead and buried.
I like dandelions! And we sometimes eat a Lebanese dish called Sleeka at our local restaurant made with dandelion leaves sauteed with garlic and olive oil and topped with pine nuts and almonds. https://www.mamaslebanesekitchen.com/mezza/sauteed-dandelion-recipe-sleek-mkalla/
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of using the buds like capers. Nasturtium buds I have used that way. The French names for this are interesting!
I have eaten dandelion leaves, both as a salad green with plenty of vinaigrette, and another time sauteed. They were good. Thanks for the links to those recipes.
DeleteThe hard thing about cutting or otherwise gathering dandelion leaves is that you're supposed to take them before the flowers appear. But how in the world do you find the plants if they don't have flowers? Only if you have planted them in a garden plot, I'd guess.
There you are, and I thought that they were only good for telling the time.
ReplyDeleteHow do they tell the time?
DeleteBritish tradition of the past. You blow at the seed head and the time (by the hour) is the number of times required to clear the head of seeds. Similar to holding a buttercup under the chin to see a yellow reflection that affirms the answer to the question 'Does he like butter?' My childhood was in simpler times!
DeleteI once had dandelion wine, bought at an Amish farm in Iowa. H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E. Boozy honey.
ReplyDeleteBut then, all Iowa wine is horrible.
That's funny, I had Iowa wine one time years ago on a trip to see the Amana Colony. You're right, it was horrible. Think of it as a midwestern apéro.
Delete‘He’s eating dandelion roots” ha ha, our English equivalent is “he’s pushing up daisies”. Similar!
ReplyDeleteMy father was a midwestern beekeeper, dandelions were the first significant source of nectar for the bees after the long winter. I was raised to believe that dandelions were sweet little misunderstood flowers that should be encouraged in your lawn.
ReplyDeleteAs far as your last sentence, I'm not there quite yet! Rehab has really begun and the therapists seem to be pleased. It is exhausting, but I'm trying my best!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in rehab, I was asked if I knew the difference between a terrorist and a therapist. Answer: you can negotiate with a terrorist. Hang in there, CHM!
DeleteGood to hear that you are doing your rehab well, chm. It's so good to see you again here!
Deletechm, good to know!
DeleteEvidently in some Asian countries the bloomed flower is harvested and made into a tea. A woman was harvesting them outside our fence on the pipeline for that purpose. Her son has health issues and she said this helped him. Guess almost anything is useful if you know what to do with it.
ReplyDeleteI've had the leaves in salads before and like them. Wonder if they're available in the stores here?
ReplyDeleteOn peut même faire de la confiture de pissenlit (appelée cramaillotte en Franche-Comté).
ReplyDeleteMerci pour ce commentaire. L'autre jour j'avais vu le terme cramaillotte, utilisé en Franche-Comté, pour pissenlit. Ce matin j'ai trouvé cette recette pour la confiture (ou "miel") de cramaillotte.
Deletesillygirl,
ReplyDeleteDandelion is considered a beneficial herbal, helps the body detox from various things. Good in the spring, when one is (presumably) emerging from winter's confinement. A brand of herbal teas called Traditional Medicinals has a dandelion-lemon tea, I think.
s
Just saw this video on making dandelion jelly and thought of this post: https://youtu.be/uLVdakizPxI
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in New Jersey in the 50s, it was a sign of spring to see old widows from Italy, dressed in black, digging dandelions in the park we walked through on our way to school. My father (of old New England stock) liked dandelion greens with vinegar. They were boiled, as most Americans did not sautée greens then. I believe they came from the supermarket.
ReplyDelete