Monk’s beard. A thin, wild spring grass, a type of chicory, looking like a cross between samphire and tumbleweed, from northern Italy. It has a bitter flavour, bearing some relation in texture and taste to samphire, succulent and pleasantly resistant to the bite, and is eaten raw, blanched for seconds and dressed, or stewed in olive oil. It is also a useful addition to salads. It has a very short season which seems to be quite specifically five weeks in spring.
Capers. The pickled flower buds of the white-flowering, low-growing caper bush which grows around the Mediterranean on rock faces exposed to the sun. They are usually pickled in vinegar or salt. They are particularly popular in sauces with fish but also served in other savoury dishes.
