Now I think I am right in saying many of us have had our fill of the word "superfood". The term doesn't have a legal definition and it's overused as a marketing tool, too often misleadingly.
Nevertheless, in this world rife with food blogs and reality TV cooking shows and people who stand on their chairs in restaurants to "get-the-shot" of their glass of water, it seems superfoods are here to stay.
I stood on a chair to get-the-shot of this samphire
In which case, I would like to whisper to all of you quinoa-,
kale-, and chia-munchers out there: samphire just might be the next superfood coming soon to a food or health blog near you.
Samphire is hardly new. This vegetable (also known as sea asparagus, sea beans, pickleweed, or glasswort) is mentioned by Shakespeare in King Lear:
...half way down
Hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade! (Act IV, Scene VI)
A punnet of fresh samphire
In centuries past it graced tables throughout Europe, and more recently it was eaten by convicts on their way to Australia. At some point, however, samphire lost favour in the kitchen. Perhaps the food snobs of the day refused to eat what the convicts ate and the masses followed suit? In any case, and to our good fortune, over the past few years there has been a resurgence of interest in samphire -- in Europe, in America and now in Australia.
What is samphire and where does it grow?
Samphire is a succulent that grows in brackish water near the ocean. It grows prolifically and often wild along coastlines in England, northern Europe, northwest America, and southern Australia. It is farmed hydroponically on floating platforms in Hawaii, and I expect in other parts of the world as well.
This is not how samphire grows. The shoots are standing in a mug for artistic purposes only.
The shoots are bright green, thin, smooth, and branched. Some commentators say it looks nothing like asparagus (its namesake here in Hawaii), but I disagree. For me, the resemblance is there. I can see a bonsai asparagus plant with branching fingers, can you?
Bonsai (sea) asparagus?
It tastes salty, in a good way; like your lips and your skin taste after a swim in the ocean. Its texture is tender, crisp, and crunchy. Eaten raw, it's delicious in a green salad, or as an accompaniment to sushi or seafood. However, if you want less of a salt burst, you might prefer to add it to a stir-fry or to blanch it before throwing it in your salad mix.
My current supplier is Olakai Hawaii. They have a stall at the Waimea Valley farmers' market where they sell fresh samphire in punnets and also what they call Ocean Pesto, which is a mix of samphire, garlic, macadamia nuts, Italian parsley, basil, lemon juice, pepper and olive oil. Yum.
You can find a few recipes for samphire on Olakai Hawaii's
website. I haven't tried these. A few famous TV chefs also have recipes for samphire, but I haven't tried these either. For now, I like my samphire neat and raw.
What are the nutritional and health benefits of samphire?
I am not a food scientist, nutritionist, or dietitian, so I can't attest to the validity of the following claims. You will need to do your own research to confirm this, but apparently samphire:
-is rich in vitamins A, B and C
-is a source of folic acid
-improves mood, alertness, concentration and visual clarity
-aids digestion
-cleanses the liver
-eases kidney complaints
-helps to treat obesity
-improves muscle function
-relieves flatulence
-the list goes on...
What I can attest to is that samphire is minimally processed, easy to prepare, and delicious. I feel good after I eat it. I think it is a super food.
Have you tried samphire? What do you think of it? Do you have a favourite samphire recipe you would like to share?
