Wake up Your Inner Bear

Many people are baffled in front of it, although it’s traditionally been used for centuries, both as food and medicinal herb. These plain-looking green leaves go under various names: ramsons, buckrams, wild garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, or bear's garlic. The Croatian term is medvjeđi luk, which literally means bear’s onion. Supposedly it’s called like that because it’s the first thing that a bear eats after a long hibernation. We all know what it’s like to feel without energy, woozy and sleepy at the first outbreak of spring - maybe it’s time to learn something from the wise bears and clean our bodies after the winter’s lethargy.

“Very plain-looking, ramsons leaves are full of intense aroma and health benefits.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

Ramsons grows abundantly in the forests around Zagreb, and we know there’s plenty of them. Many locals love to go hiking on weekends, either to Medvednica, Samobor or Žumberak Mountains, and they also like to combine their outdoor activities with foraging for food. No wonder you will be seeing lots of people carrying bunches of green leaves these days. Yet, ramsons is similar to the poisonous lilies of the valley and some other dangerous plants, too, so it’s necessary to have someone experienced and knowledgeable if you decide to go picking. As the name suggests, it’s related to chives and garlic, which accounts for the intense smell and even more intense breath after consuming it. Wild ramsons is a very useful medicinal plant with plenty of benefits, which is why it has been used as folk medicine across Europe for thousands of years. Leaves, bulbs, flowers, stems… everything is edible and can be used for various purposes. But we’re talking about leaves because they’re the most common in kitchen, and very versatile.

“A proper spring breakfast – poached eggs on wild asparagus, ramsons and bacon.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

As with many other fresh wild herbs used for cooking, like chives, chickweed or dandelions, it’s only natural to chop it raw and put it in salads. Of course, you don’t want to overdo it with ramsons, for the same reason you don’t want too much garlic in your food. For raw consumption, you can use it to spice up your sir i vrhnje (cottage cheese and cream). Then, same as with wild asparagus, the quickest and simplest recipe is to mix it with scrambled eggs. Adding some scallions or asparagus, or bacon, will upgrade this healthy dish. Spring greens love being put in a creamy soup, and ramsons is no exception. Replacing the Swiss chard with ramsons in the classic mixture with boiled potatoes works fine, too. The secret is not to overcook the leaves, otherwise they lose their medicinal properties.

“Ramsons as part of a fancy dish – Adriatic shrimps, wild asparagus and ramsons risotto.” Image credit: Vinodol FB

In organic food shops, as well as at some family farm stands at the markets, you will see jars filled with the most common and popular product made from ramsons – pesto or spread. It’s widely used same as the regular basil or any other kind of green pesto. I’m sure there are many more nice recipes and options for using the ramsons, but let’s stop at this for now. In spring we like to see things in bloom, but with ramsons that’s not really the case. When it starts blooming, the leaves are not good anymore. The flowers are soon to come, sometime in May, so hurry up to make the best of the ramsons peak season and release your inner bear.

“A welcome refreshment in the standard grilled vegetables.” Image credit: Taste of Croatia

Header image credit: Taste of Croatia

Author:Taste of Croatia