Lamb’s lettuce

Mâche

What it is

For centuries it was a weed pulled from cornfields after the harvest, which is why German still calls it Ackersalat — field salad. Nantes turned it into a crop in the nineteenth century, and the Loire valley still grows most of what France eats.

In the kitchen

Wash it in a large bowl of standing water, never under a tap. The rosettes trap grit at the base and a jet just drives it deeper.

Goes with

Walnut Beetroot Hazelnut Shallot Goat cheese Apple Mustard Egg

Also used with

Poppy seed oil Rampion Selles-sur-Cher Hazelnut oil Walnut oil

In season alongside

Romanesco Pauillac lamb Albacore Japanese tilefish (amadai) Amethyst deceiver Sweetfish (ayu)

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