Fiddlehead Fern, Lingudi or Kasrod – the pickle is more exotic than the name sounds. A highly nutritious, short-lived green, found growing wild in the mountains, now available at your table…

The Himalayas are a literal treasure trove. And one of the most unique or exotic treasures to be found there is a curiously shaped green. The Fiddlehead Fern gets its name because of the way the tip of the frond curls inward, forming the spiral usually found on a violin or fiddle. They grow wild in the mountains in late winter or spring, and most locals forage for them.

Fiddlehead fern is known as Lingudi or Lingri in the Kullu valley, Kasrod in Himachal and Kandhor in the lower vales of Jammu and Kashmir. In Assam, the locals stir-fry the greens and call it Dhekia Xaak. In Himachal, especially in the Chamba valley, the locals find the crisp, asparagus-like taste of the fiddlehead most suited to pickling, and so that’s what they do!

 Fiddlehead ferns are a rich source of Iron, Vitamin C, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. And if that weren’t enough, the greens are also loaded with antioxidants.

 Ammiji was a regular visitor to the mountains of Himachal in her younger days. And that is where she fell in love with this unusual pickle. On all her subsequent trips, if made before the monsoon hit, she would pick up some raw Kasrod on her last day there and get it back home. (The greens have to be cooked within 48 hours of being harvested, otherwise they lose their nutrition and taste.) She pickled them in two ways – one with the fiddleheads and a bit of the stem, and she would use up all the leftover stems for another pickle, made with a slightly Kashmiri touch to it. And that is the formula we are following with the batch of fiddlehead ferns we managed to procure.

 We have Ammiji’s Kasrod pickle, which has the heads of the ferns and a bit of stem, and the Kandhor pickle which is made solely with stems. Ammiji’s Kasrod Ka Achaar is a mildly spiced pickle – the star is undoubtedly the Fiddlehead fern. The oil used is cold-pressed mustard oil, and the spices used in this pickle only enhance the grassy, crisp taste of the greens.

 Bring home the Chamba valley with this pickle. Eat it as a side to your meals or make it the main star by pairing this nutritious with a parantha. Ingredients: Fiddlehead Fern, Mustard Oil, Salt, Red Chilli, Turmeric, Asafoetida, Ginger Powder, Mustard Seeds, Cumin,  Caraway seeds, Fenugreek seeds, Nigella seeds

Refrigerate for longer shelf life. Weight: 220 gms