Eat this Word: Fiddleheads

WHAT? Fern believers. A seasonal green available for only about two weeks in spring, fiddleheads are actually the young, tender shoots of "cinnamon," "brake," or "ostrich" ferns. The tightly coiled, immature fronds can be eaten raw or gently cooked, and have a taste likened to a cross between asparagus, green beans, and okra. The shape of the coil echoes the shape of the scroll of a violin or fiddle, hence the name. The season is over once the fiddleheads uncoil into full-fledged fronds. WHERE? Linton Hopkins's Beard House dinner WHEN? May 5, 2010 HOW? Hickory-Smoked Pepper-Crusted Rib-Eye and Braised Short Ribs with Appalachian Ramps, Morel Fondue, Pickled Fiddleheads, and Marrow