I think this might say more about your geographic location than you think :)
replyPeople from other continents always surprise me with various fruits they taken for granted their entire life, but I've never heard about, and vice-versa.
> I think this might say more about your geographic location than you think
replyClearly, for instance Welwitschia (1) listed. I think this says a lot about location.
It's a fascinating plant, but it is an endangered species, endemic to the Namib desert. And as far as I know, not that commonly eaten.
Lotus root is pretty common in Chinese and Japanese cuisine. I've had it pickled and in a Sichuan dry pot. It's crunchy and takes on flavors pretty well.
replyWe use it in cuisines from India, particularly from Tamil nadu, as well. Lotus root, seeds, the petals, pretty much all.
replymy wife and I regularly eat lotus root, it's quite delicious and common in chinese cooking. the others not so much.
replyOn a side note there are 1000s even 10s of thousand of edible plant based species that grow on the earth. i don't know how old they are though.
Water caltrop nuts are common in Taiwan, very nutty and good for meat soups.
replyApparently monkey puzzle nuts are great, I keep meaning to find some they do seem to seed around here sometimes but they are hard to reach.
replyWhoever smelled a ginkgo fruit and said "let's eat this" !
replyOur sense of smell also evolved in the past couple thousand years. And the further back you go, the hungrier our ancestor will be.
replyI need to get food at the market, not wait for it to fall into a trap or fight it to death.
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replyFiddleheads from ferns are available at farmer's markets in the spring in my area, though not from the cinnamon fern specifically.
replyI'm having trouble finding sources for other specific fern species, though many ferns have been around for hundreds of millions of years.
I used to get them at Whole Foods in Nashua, NH. They're quite seasonal so I'd always grab some if I see em.
replyFern fiddleheads aren't bad if you get them at the right time, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat them.
replyLotus root is pretty common. A crunchy tuber that keeps its texture after cooking, bland taste, unique visual appeal. I threw some in the last pot of bean chili my family made, and the kids liked it.
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