Chenopodio, Farinello Bianco

Fat Hen

Appears in

Published 1986

About

Fat hen, the well known annual, has bluish green leaves with a silvery sheen, and does not resemble the wild beets. Its much smaller leaves can be used in salads or simply cooked in butter; they taste a little of broccoli.

I was astonished to find that in the Salento people call this plant la saponara and use it to clean their hands after working in the fields, rather than eating it. It is often found in cultivated ground next door to deadly nightshade. The shape of their leaves is similar, but those of the nightshade are dark green; so study both plants before gathering fat hen.

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Part of

Cooking and Eating Weeds

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