Forgotten vegetables

September 18, 2025 by
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While there is a large variety of vegetables to be found at farmers’ markets and grocery stores, some veg that were once staples in diets around the world have faded into obscurity. The Takeout looks into fifteen of these all-but-forgotten vegetables and explains a bit of the history of each. While I was familiar with several of these foods, there were some to which I had not previously been introduced, like rampion and Chinese artichoke.

Baked salsify from Observer Food Monthly by Jeremy Lee

Many of the foods are leafy greens that fell out of fashion as more tender or easily grown options became widely available. Examples of these include sea kale and a plant called Good King Henry. Spinach supplanted the latter, while sea kale was replaced by crops that were easier to grow commercially. Wild sea kale has been over-foraged, but it is making a comeback on European shores.

Other vegetables lost out to their tamer cousins, as is the case with the black Spanish radish, which is striking to behold and also packs a punch. Some faded into obscurity after a newcomer captured everyone’s attention. Once potatoes were introduced to Europe, skirret fell from favor, partly because its small roots are labor-intensive to prepare.

Of the vegetables on this list, I have grown and enjoy lovage and have sampled chicory root. The others I have not yet tried, but some will go on my “to-make” list when I can get my hands on some. How many of these “forgotten” vegetables have you tasted? Also, is it just me, or does that image of rampion look suspiciously like my garden nemesis, creeping bellflower?

Category: Antipasto

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10 Comments

  • averythingcooks  on  September 18, 2025

    While I’ve never felt the urge to taste it, I’m sure I’ve seen dock (or a close relative) growing on my property.

  • Skamper  on  September 18, 2025

    Interesting read!

  • KatieK1  on  September 18, 2025

    They have the wrong image for lovage.

  • Indio32  on  September 19, 2025

    I blame the power of supermarkets.

  • maestra  on  September 20, 2025

    I love cardoons and look forward to the season every year. My local grocery store carries them. I believe I’ve seen them in unattended gardens, but when I ask people tell me they’re artichoke. This year maybe I’ll be brave enough to insist on picking one and verify for myself.

  • eliza  on  September 20, 2025

    I’ve had many of these. Being an allotment gardener, I’ve grown salsify (good later crop), black radish, and lovage. I’ve also had several others such as miners lettuce and chervil root. The lovage, as mentioned has an incorrect picture in the article, and I think the dock does as well.

  • averythingcooks  on  September 21, 2025

    Curious, I did a bit of research and I agree that the picture for dock (if the author meant “broad leaf dock” or “bitter dock”…2 of the many names it seems to go by) is the wrong one. Having said that, I would like to know the name of the plant that I’ve seen at home (which does match the picture in the article). Can any EYB member help me out?

  • sanfrannative  on  September 22, 2025

    I grew up in Northern California and miner’s lettuce is easy to find. It’s very mild tasting–I learned about it on a school field trip.

  • RickaG  on  October 10, 2025

    Thanks for this link. I’m going to replace my front lawn in the spring with a mostly edible landscape. I will be trying several of these.

  • Micklin  on  October 16, 2025

    Looks like mint not lovage.

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