''Silene vulgaris'', the bladder campion or maidenstears, is a plant species of the genus '' Silene'' of the family '' Caryophyllaceae''. It is native to Europe, where in some parts it is eaten, but is also widespread in North America, where it is a common wildflower in meadows, open woods, and fields.

Gastronomy

The young shoots and the leaves may be used as food in some countries of the Mediterranean region. The tender leaves may be eaten raw in salads. The older leaves are usually eaten boiled or fried, sauteed with

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

as well as in omelettes.

Crete and Cyprus

In Crete it is called ''agriopapoula'' () and the locals eat its leaves and tender shoots browned in

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...

. In Cyprus it is very widely eaten, so much that it has, in recent years, come back into being cultivated and sold in shops in bunches. Two of the common Cypriot names are ''strouthouthkia'' (; ) and ''tsakrithkia'' (; ).

Italy

In Italy the leaves of this plant may be used also as an ingredient in risotto. It is commonly known as ''sculpit'', ''stridolo'', or by the obsolete scientific name ''Silene inflata'', as well as ''s-ciopetin'', or ''grixol'' in Veneto, and ''nenkuz'', or ''sclopit'' in Friuli and ''cojet'' in Piedmont.

Spain (La Mancha)

Formerly in La Mancha region of Spain, where ''Silene vulgaris'' leaves are valued as a green vegetable, there were people known as ''"collejeros"'' who picked these plants and sold them. Leaves are small and narrow, so it takes many plants to obtain a sizeable amount. In La Mancha the ''Silene vulgaris'' leaves, locally known as ''"collejas"'', were mainly used to prepare a dish called ''gazpacho viudo'' (widower gazpacho). The ingredients were

flatbread A flatbread is a bread made with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pizza and pita bread. Flatbreads ran ...

known as '' tortas de gazpacho'' and a

stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables and ...

prepared with ''Silene vulgaris'' leaves.''Gazpacho viudo'' recipe
/ref> Other dishes prepared with these leaves in Spain include ''"potaje de

garbanzos The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram" or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. Chickpea seeds are high ...

y collejas"'', ''"

huevos revueltos ''Huevo'' is the Spanish-language translation of the word "egg", but can also be used as a Spanish slang term for "testicle". ''Huevo''(s) may also refer to: Food * '' Chorizo con huevos'', a popular Mexican dish consisting of fried chorizo with s ...

con collejas"'' and ''" arroz con collejas"''.

References

External links

Guisado de collejasArroz con collejas
{{Taxonbar, from=Q511103 vulgaris Flora of Europe Flora of temperate Asia Flora of North Africa Flora of Macaronesia Saponaceous plants