Corn salad

For a salad prepared from corn, see succotash. Cornsalad grows in a low rosette with spatulate leaves up to 15. The flowers have a bluish-white corolla of five fused petals, 1. Cornsalad grows corn salad in parts of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia.

In Europe and Asia it is a common weed in cultivated land and waste spaces. As a cultivated crop, it is a specialty of the region around Nantes, France, which is the primary producer of mâche in Europe. Cornsalad was originally foraged by European peasants. Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie, royal gardener of King Louis XIV, introduced it to kitchen gardening. In German-speaking Switzerland it is known as Nüsslisalat or Nüssler, terms that have been borrowed by the area’s many English speakers. In some areas of Germany it is known as rapunzel, and is the origin of the long-haired maiden’s name in the eponymous fairy tale, but see Campanula rapunculus. Cornsalad has a characteristic nutty flavour, dark green colour, and soft texture, and is popularly served as salad greens.

Like other formerly foraged greens, cornsalad has many nutrients, including three times as much vitamin C as lettuce, beta-carotene, B6, iron, and potassium. It is best if gathered before flowers appear. Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Wikispecies has information related to Valerianella locusta. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia.