Coltsfoot

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

coltsfoot a name given to various plants of the daisy family for the shape of their leaves. Tussilago farfara, the common coltsfoot of Europe, Asia, and N. America, is little used, although a wine and a herbal tea are made from its yellow petals.

In contrast, Petasites japonicus, the sweet coltsfoot of Japan, is an important herb which is cultivated for the market. Both the leaf stalks and the unopened flower buds are used in Japanese cooking. The combined flavour of leaf stalks and buds is considered to be appropriate for spring dishes.