Stachys affinis / Chinese artichoke | [한국산] 초석잠

Stachys affinis, commonly called crosne, chinese artichoke, japanese artichoke, knotroot, or artichoke betony, is originating from China. Its rhizome is a root vegetable that can be eaten raw, pickled, dried or cooked. Stachys affinis is a perennial herbaceous plant with red to purple flowers and reaches a height of 30 ? 120 cm. The green leaves are opposite arranged on the stem. The rough, nettle-like leaves can be ovate-cordate shaped with a width of 2.5 ? 9.5 cm or ovate-oblong with a width of 1.5 ? 3.5 cm. The leaves are separated into a leaf blade and a petiole. The petiole has a length of 1 ? 2 cm and becomes shorter towards the stem apex. Similar to the potato, S. affinis grows rhyzomes which are approximately 8 cm long and 2 cm thick. The tubers have a crunchy texture and a sweet, nutty flavour. They can be eaten raw, pickled, dried or cooked. A wide range of uses for this vegetable leads to various dishes in many countries’ kitchen. They can be prepared similarly to Jerusalem