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Eat Only the Plants That Are Proven Safe and Accurately Identified
An interesting situation has been reported in the news media, one that has caught my attention and given me real pause for thought. A British chef, Anthony Worrall Thompson has made a significant error in his recommendation of a wild plant to be used in summertime meals. His mistake has had me thinking about two very important observations: One, the common verses scientific names for various plants and Two, the source for food information that chefs pass on to their co-workers and students and ultimately in their food.
The story is that this chef in a magazine article stated that “Henbane” would make a nice addition to summertime meals. The problem is that Thompson meant to refer to the plant commonly known as “Fat Hen”. Definitely, he misspoke. “Henbane” (Hyoscyamus niger) is toxic and according to Wikapedia, “can cause hallucinations, convulsions, vomiting and in extreme cases death”.
In an article in Healthy and Organic Living magazine it is stated, “Henbane is a very toxic plant and should never be eaten. As always, check with an expert when foraging or collecting wild plants”.
What Chef Thompson meant to recommend was a plant known as “Fat Hen” (Chenopodium album) which is edible. This brings me to one of the problems in using only common names and not also referencing the scientific and therefore universal name.
For instance, neither of the names “Henbane” nor “Fat Hen” meant a thing to me. But, after a little researching, I realized that I’m totally unfamiliar with “Henbane”. “Fat Hen” however, is another name for “Lamb’s Quarter” (Chenopodium album), a plant that I’ve gathered and eaten for decades.
So, point taken- I will reference by the Latin terms for the plant family and species as I usually do. There are so many common names in so many languages that it is not only confusing to only use them, but potentially very harmful. That is my first observation, the second, (other that a real compassion for the embarrassment that the chef must have felt) is a long hard look at my own culinary use of wild plants.
You may already know of my fondness for wild mushrooms from a previous post entitled “Mushroom Paradise” in which I was careful to properly identify my mushrooms and recommend extreme caution in their harvest.
However, I have been given real pause to think about many other plants that I have used over the years. In particular, the wild Sweet Pea or Lathyrus ochroleucus, which although I have not eaten or tried to cook, I HAVE used the pretty little blossom as a garnish with all sorts of dishes. Never again of course, but fortune was on my side as apparently my mistake has never made anyone sick.
I do remember once when catering a private party in San Francisco in the early eighties, I used the blossoms to garnish a lovely cold strawberry soup. I was even confronted by one of the guests about the safety of the flower and my source for knowing that it was safe. In my “chefly” arrogance I answered that of course it was safe and that I had used it for years. I have used it for years and but the truth is I don’t remember how or who first inspired me to use it. My bad, and although not quite the faux pas of Chef Thompson, I was very wrong and have learned a most valuable lesson.
I do love foraging around for edible wild things and was a big fan years ago of the most famous proponent of wild food, Euell Gibbons. I carried around a copy of his book “Stalking the Wild Asparagus” until it was worn out. I still love wild asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) and still gather it every spring.
It is a safe bet that in the future if I mention wild foods in this blog or elsewhere it will have proper reference and identification! Eat well and safely!
An interesting situation has been reported in the news media, one that has caught my attention and given me real pause for thought. A British chef, Anthony Worrall Thompson has made a significant error in his recommendation of a wild plant to be used in summertime meals. His mistake has had me thinking about two very important observations: One, the common verses scientific names for various plants and Two, the source for food information that chefs pass on to their co-workers and students and ultimately in their food.
The chef misspoke
The story is that this chef in a magazine article stated that “Henbane” would make a nice addition to summertime meals. The problem is that Thompson meant to refer to the plant commonly known as “Fat Hen”. Definitely, he misspoke. “Henbane” (Hyoscyamus niger) is toxic and according to Wikapedia, “can cause hallucinations, convulsions, vomiting and in extreme cases death”.
In an article in Healthy and Organic Living magazine it is stated, “Henbane is a very toxic plant and should never be eaten. As always, check with an expert when foraging or collecting wild plants”.
One of the problems in using only common names
What Chef Thompson meant to recommend was a plant known as “Fat Hen” (Chenopodium album) which is edible. This brings me to one of the problems in using only common names and not also referencing the scientific and therefore universal name.
For instance, neither of the names “Henbane” nor “Fat Hen” meant a thing to me. But, after a little researching, I realized that I’m totally unfamiliar with “Henbane”. “Fat Hen” however, is another name for “Lamb’s Quarter” (Chenopodium album), a plant that I’ve gathered and eaten for decades.
So, point taken- I will reference by the Latin terms for the plant family and species as I usually do. There are so many common names in so many languages that it is not only confusing to only use them, but potentially very harmful. That is my first observation, the second, (other that a real compassion for the embarrassment that the chef must have felt) is a long hard look at my own culinary use of wild plants.
You may already know of my fondness for wild mushrooms from a previous post entitled “Mushroom Paradise” in which I was careful to properly identify my mushrooms and recommend extreme caution in their harvest.
Fortune was on my side
However, I have been given real pause to think about many other plants that I have used over the years. In particular, the wild Sweet Pea or Lathyrus ochroleucus, which although I have not eaten or tried to cook, I HAVE used the pretty little blossom as a garnish with all sorts of dishes. Never again of course, but fortune was on my side as apparently my mistake has never made anyone sick.
“Chefly” arrogance
I do remember once when catering a private party in San Francisco in the early eighties, I used the blossoms to garnish a lovely cold strawberry soup. I was even confronted by one of the guests about the safety of the flower and my source for knowing that it was safe. In my “chefly” arrogance I answered that of course it was safe and that I had used it for years. I have used it for years and but the truth is I don’t remember how or who first inspired me to use it. My bad, and although not quite the faux pas of Chef Thompson, I was very wrong and have learned a most valuable lesson.
I do love foraging around for edible wild things and was a big fan years ago of the most famous proponent of wild food, Euell Gibbons. I carried around a copy of his book “Stalking the Wild Asparagus” until it was worn out. I still love wild asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) and still gather it every spring.
It is a safe bet that in the future if I mention wild foods in this blog or elsewhere it will have proper reference and identification! Eat well and safely!
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