Rhubarb

Rhubarbe

What it is

Botanically a vegetable — what we eat is a leaf stalk — and legally a fruit: the EU jam directive counts rhubarb stalks among the fruits, which is what lets rhubarb preserve be sold as jam. A US customs court had reached the same conclusion in 1947, on the ground that its chief use was that of a fruit. In Yorkshire’s “rhubarb triangle”, forced stalks grow in pitch-dark sheds and are harvested by candlelight; growers say you can hear them creak as they rise.

In the kitchen

Never the leaves — they are toxic. Roast the stalks rather than stewing them: they keep their shape, their colour, and their proud acidity.

Goes with

Strawberry Vanilla Ginger Cream Almond Honey

Same species

Forced rhubarb

Also used with

Malic acid Candied angelica Douglas fir tips Meadowsweet Rapid-set apple pectin Sweet cicely

In season alongside

Gooseberry Green almond Nopal Purslane Redcurrant Sorrel

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