Picking coscolls (Molopospermum peloponnesiacum).
This plant grows in rocky spots in mountains in Europe above 1500 m above sea level, such as the Pyrenees and the Alps. In the Pyrenees, people pick them to make salads. This plant is a bit like mushrooms, many people go to pick them but they won't tell you where they have their spot.
The coscolls are picked during May and early June, before the flowers open. Then, they have to be peeled, taking away the little branches and the exterior layer, because the edible part is the stem. They are cut in short pieces, two cuts in the shape of a cross, and left to soak in water.
Their taste is very fresh and crunchy. In this time of the year, they are the protagonist of different salad recipes in the Pyrenees mountains of Catalonia and Northern Catalonia.
Photos: Fabian Heussler on Encyclopedia Of Life, El blog de Cal Lliuret (restaurant a Travesseres) and Les Loueurs du Vallespir.
