Still really bitter

Perhaps it is an advantage that the typical Italian puntarelle is still relatively rarely seen outside of Rome. So there is a chance that the bitterness of this interesting vegetable will be preserved.

The health-promoting bitterness of asparagus, radishes, endive, chicory and many other vegetables and lettuces, which originally tasted relatively bitter, has already been bred out.

Although modern varieties make these once bitter foods look excellent, the typical bitter taste has fallen by the wayside.

Sweet instead of bitter

The rapidly increasing proportion of sugar in many foods means that people are becoming more and more sensitive to bitter foods and are avoiding this unfamiliar taste. Sweet and salty it may be, umami gladly, but bitter no thanks. While the Romans love their bitter salad at the start of a meal, puntarelle or dandelion hardly find any fans in this country.

Bitter substances are excellent for the body; they stimulate fat metabolism in the gall bladder and liver and also promote digestion by stimulating the production of stomach acid and increasing intestinal activity.

At the same time, bitter substances reduce the appetite for sweets. So there are many advantages to specifically looking for the few bitter vegetables that are still around and getting your palate used to bitter foods.

Do as the Romans do

In Rome, people love the bitterness of a salad made from puntarelle and salty anchovies to start a meal. Puntarelle is grown in the area around Rome and in southern Italy. The long-stemmed shape of the puntarelle resembles a dandelion, while the bulbous shape is similar to a fennel bulb.

Puntarelle, Italy © Alamy Stock Photo

In the bulbous form, the inner parts are processed, which look like small intertwined shoots. These are cut into pointed spearheads with a sharp knife.

With the long shape, the long strips cut from the stems are often placed in ice water for about an hour to create a rippled effect that looks beautiful on the plate.

The puntarelle is eaten with a dressing made from anchovies, a little garlic, good olive oil, a little salt (as the anchovies usually already have a relatively strong salty taste), a little lemon juice and white wine vinegar. The dressing can be made in a small blender.

If you discover Puntarelle at the vegetable market, give it a try and enjoy the exclusive bitterness.

The elegance of many Italians is inimitable. This is also the case with puntarelle compared to apple cider vinegar, which is currently on everyone’s lips. Compared to the elegant foil, apple cider vinegar is a coarse chopping block.

See Also

Chili

Also rare in New York

One of our favorite restaurants in London has been the River Café for many years. The owner, Rose Gray, has an interesting podcast called “Ruthie’s Table“. The restaurant brings her interesting guests day after day. She talks to many of them in her podcast, mostly, but not always and exclusively, on the subject of Italian food.

Sarah Jessica Parker was one of their guests recently and talked about her enthusiasm for puntarelle and the difficulty of getting puntarelle in New York City. Perhaps that’s a little comforting, given the difficulty of finding puntarelle in the local market.

Another consolation could be planning a trip to the eternal city or southern Italy.

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