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Foodbuzz
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Samphire - Poor Man’s Asparagus
March 13th, 2007 | Category: Turkish Cuisine, Vegetarian
“Half-way down
Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade!”
Shakespeare, King Lear.
The pickled version of this herb with the funny nickname was once so popular (and salable) that men risked their necks to collect it from the rocks. Hence the reference to the danger involved in collecting it.
Samphire originated in the shores of Great Britain and northern Europe and grows in rocky salt-sprayed regions of the seacoast. It is also very popular in Turkey. You can find samphire salad in most of the fish restaurants along the coast of the Aegean Sea.
The bright-green leaflets full of aromatic juice are extremely salty. My favorite way of cooking this herb starts with blanching it for 15-20 minutes (depending on the toughness) to soften it and get rid of the excess salt. The boiling water gets quite stinky after this step. You then transfer it in a cold water bath and drain it, which also helps preserve the bright color.
As for the sauce, my favorite is a mixture of olive oil (2 parts), balsamic vinegar (1 part) and pomegranate syrup (1 part).
It can also be sauteed in butter, or simply drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. I also found a great recipe by Rick Stein: Warm salad of samphire, asparagus and crab.
So, all and all, is it really worth risking one’s neck? Obviously not, but it is definitely worth trying.
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“Borulce” thats the name Aegean people will use. if you love garlic mash it with olive oil and put it on after you boil and clean Borulce. That is how we will eat.
Cenk,
I have never seen this kind of asparagus, the nickname is so funny!
They are also called “sea beans” in the US; and in Turkey the common name is “the black eyed pea from the sea”. They are neither black eyed, nor resemble a pea. They are definitely not beans, ok the taste might slightly resemble beans. Can’t we name things properly? Ha ha!
They look very interesting - I’ve only seen them on a food program once and always wondered what they tasted like.
In England, they’re nicknamed “chicken’s feet”…and in France, ‘les salicornes’ are grown in the salt marshes and they pickle them!
And in German, they call it Meerfenchel, which translates to sea fennel. I am amazed to find out how many nicknames this wicked herb has!
I have seen it a few times at my local fishmongers but as i was not acquainted with it I had not yet tried ti. You have definitely inspired me.for Saturday I guess the salad has already been chosen.