HiEnd Food

[jmakinen]

I've been ridiculed for years by native Finns making jokes about eating dandelion greens

(they'd rather pay 15€-kg for rucola or mescula and get their S-bonus points )

From today's NY Times:

Here is what $35,000 buys today: Steak and blue cheese tossed with dandelion greens. Artichoke, tomatoes and fennel with penne. Oven-roasted rutabaga fries.

[EP]

I've been ridiculed for years by native Finns making jokes about eating dandelion greens

Why? I am a native Finn and I have always eaten spring dandelions. Also nettles and willowherb. That is nothing special, many people do. (Did already 50 years ago, so nothing new to that either)

[jmakinen]

OK - good - but in PK Seutu that I know - 100 out of 100 think I'm nuts - they joke all the time about my coming to rid their lawns of dandelions.

In Michigan they even sell them in supermarkets with ready tags on the bunches of leaves reading 'dandelions'

Everyone I ever met in Slovenia - 14 trips - say it is an obvious food

But never have ever had the SLIGHTEST recognition in Finland - even called a few magazines doing recipes and they say they have 'read something' somewhere but would never seriously think about writing such 'suggestions'

So maybe we are living in different countries

(yes - nettles, willow - and spruce needles known by everyone - but NOT voikukka! - with the exception that a few have HEARD of flowers being used to make wine)

[EP]

So maybe we are living in different countries

I suppose so. Because it was children´s job already 50+ years ago to gather dandelion leaves (sometimes also roots, those can be used, too). And people have always eaten "ketunleipä" andyoung spruce shoots while walking in forests and parks.

even called a few magazines doing recipes and they say they have 'read something' somewhere but would never seriously think about writing such 'suggestions'

That is odd. Maybe we read different magazines? You don´t have to go further than take today´s Länsiväylä (local Espoo newspaper that comes to every household). There they gather "poimulehti" and "vuohenputki". And honestly, women´s magazines have "wild vegetables" recepies every spring. Työväenopisto also has arranged wild vegetables cooking courses for those that are new to those.

And books have been published with recepies and also instructions for medicinal use.

[Bavarian]

I've been ridiculed for years by native Finns making jokes about eating dandelion greens

(they'd rather pay 15€-kg for rucola or mescula and get their S-bonus points )

From today's NY Times:

Here is what $35,000 buys today: Steak and blue cheese tossed with dandelion greens. Artichoke, tomatoes and fennel with penne. Oven-roasted rutabaga fries.

I'd rathe rpay 15€ and get S-bonus points than pay $35K for your dandelion greens.

Perhaps people are ridiculing you for being a smug prick?

[CH]

Perhaps people are ridiculing you for being a smug prick?

Yeah, I would guess this one, too.

A spring salad from young dandelion leaves is pretty common. Perhaps the youngest generation wouldn't be so familiar with it, but I would be very surprised the older generation didn't know about it! My mom used to make it every spring. Oh, and I live in the PK region.