Author: Weber, Family: asteraceae (compositae)
One of the most famous healing plants that grows everywhere, even though Ayla only uses it
for cooking. It's considered to be especially good for the liver and kidneys, and a blood purifier in
general.
In France, as well as in Southern Germany, the young leaves are sold in markets as a salad
specialty. They are delicious, though somewhat bitter. Older leaves can be cooked like spinach. If
the plants are kept in the dark, they will be bleached and less bitter. If you collect it wild, you can
leach out the bitterness by putting it in water for about 2 hours before preparing them.
Photo by Brother Alfred Brousseau, St. Mary's College
More about dandelion in MGMH
Text References: Food
| CB 2, 14 |
Now they gathered only what they found, but little was overlooked.
New shoots and tender young leaves of clover, alfalfa, dandelion; thistles
stripped of prickles before they were cut down; a few early berries and
fruits. |
| CB 6, 77 |
Feast for New Cave
Pigweed greens, lamb's quarter, young clover, and dandelion leaves
seasoned with coltsfoot were cooking in another pot, and a sauce of dried,
tart apples mixed with wild rose petals and a lucky find of honey steamed
near another fire. |
| CB 20, 322 |
Ayla's Cave
I'll need to get some wood, she thought, and my food won't last too
long, I should get some more. (...) Let's see, new burdock and coltsfoot
and young dandelion leaves, and fern, most of it will still be curled. |
| CB 24, 391 |
Clan Gathering
A mountain of wild lettuce, burdock, pigweed, and dandelion leaves,
freshly washed, was waiting to be served raw with a dressing of hot bear
grease, seasonings, and salt, added at the last moment. |
| VH 11, 193 |
Thonolan's and Jetamio's Promise
The young couple were first brought a mildly alcoholic drink made of
dandelion blossoms and honey that had fermented since the last new moon. |
| VH 12, 222-223 |
Huge amounts of food were served, washed down with quantities // of
new-moon dandelion wine (...) |
| MH 27, 442-443 |
Mamutoi Spring Feast
For the big Spring Feast, nothing left over from the previous year
would be eaten. (...)
New green leaves of clover, pigweed, nettles, balsam root, dandelion,
and wild lettuce would be cooked or eaten raw; thistle stalks and, especially,
sweet thistle roots were searched out. |
| PP 17, 279 |
(...) people gathered around the fire with cups of tea or lightly fermented
dandelion wine. |
|
Abbreviations |
Editions |
| CB |
The Clan of the Cave Bear |
The page numbers refer to the hardcover editions by Crown Publishers, Inc, New York 1980, 1982, 1985, 1990.
Book 1-3 are the Special Collector's Edition, I don't know if the page numbers differ from those of the 'normal' hardcover editions. |
| VH |
The Valley of Horses |
| MH |
The Mammoth Hunters |
| PP |
The Plains of Passage |
| (...) |
omission |
Copyright |
| ... |
original in text |
All book quotes: © Copyright Jean M. Auel
The format and text contents of this site are the property of the author |
| MGMH |
'A Modern Herbal', by Mrs. M. Grieve |
Comments, suggestions, errors, anything else ... emails are welcome!
|
Author: Weber, Family: asteraceae (compositae)