Meet the Massively Destructive Garden Weed That ‘Tastes Like Rain’

Gardeners hate it. Chefs love it. And now you need to get your hands on it.

By Marguerite Preston
May 31, 2016

Excerpt: "Eddy Leroux, who was Wong’s first client and co-author of her book, #ForagedFlavor. 'First, I just bit into it straight,' Oliveira says, 'and I fell in love with the taste.' To her, it’s like rhubarb, but 'more earthy. It tastes like rain.' Knotweed is the 'gamey' version of rhubarb, she says, so she combines both in her desserts, letting the knotweed enhance the flavor of the rhubarb.

"The two meld in a hibiscus-tinted compote, a jam at the center of a rolled almond cake, and a rosy quenelle of ice cream. You wouldn’t know the difference from a very good rhubarb dessert were it not for the little rings of confit knotweed, still crunchy, resting atop the center mound of riesling sabayon.

"Another one of Wong’s clients, chef Amanda Cohen, takes an entirely different approach to the sour weed. Though she’s put onion in a chocolate tart and turned lettuce into sorbet at her innovative vegetarian restaurant Dirt Candy, she prefers to keep knotweed on the savory side of her kitchen. 'Rhubarb has sweetness to it, knotweed doesn’t,' she says, 'It’s just sour on sour.' So she pickles it in a simple mixture of water, vinegar, and salt, and scatters the tiny ring-shaped slivers over her 'forager’s salad.' They add a sour zip to the tangle of other wild plants and flowers Wong supplies each week, which Cohen arranges with very little other adornment over cubes of soft, pungent cheese.

"That versatility is part of knotweed’s appeal. Matt Louis, the chef and owner of Moxy in #PortsmouthNH, says that in the three years he’s had knotweed on the menu, he’s often made pickles or chutney to go with meat or fish, but one of his favorite uses is in pie. He swaps it for rhubarb in strawberry-rhubarb pie, explaining: “Whenever I’m using anything like knotweed or other lesser-known foraged items, I want to put them in dishes that people can relate to. That pie is something people can embrace.' "

Read more:
https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/japanese-knotweed-recipes

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/Fj0ol

Link to Foraged Flavor book:
https://www.amazon.com/Foraged-Flavor-Fabulous-Ingredients-Backyard/dp/030795661X

#SolarPunkSunday #InvasiveSpecies
#WildEdibles #Foraging #FallopiaJaponica