Salsola Soda - Cultivation and Culinary Uses

Cultivation and Culinary Uses

The Italian name agretti is commonly used in English to refer to the edible leaves of Salsola soda; Barba Di Frate (or Friar's Beard) is the most common of the Italian names. This plant is not a summer green and should be started early indoors or in Autumn. The seed is notorious for poor germination at about 30% to 40% standard, much like Rosemary. Though the plant is often grown in saltwater irrigated land in the Mediterranean Basin, it will grow without salt water. Salsola soda is harvested in bunches when small, or cropped regularly to encourage new growth when mature. It is most commonly boiled and eaten as a leafy vegetable; the recommendation is to cook it in boiling water until the leaves soften, and to serve while some bite (crunch) remains (much like Samphire). It can also be eaten raw; it is said to "taste grassy and slightly salty with a pleasant crunchy texture."

Salsola soda is sometimes confused with a plant known in Japan as Okahijiki ("Land Seaweed"), which is actually the species Salsola komarovi. The harvested leaves of the two species have a similar appearance.