Welcome to the Celtnet guide to wild foods. As this recipe site has grown it has become obvious that to allow people to replicate some of the more ancient recipes on this site (especially from the Ancient, Roman and Medieval periods it is necessary to list modern alternatives but also to produce a guide so that the curious can find the original (often wild) ingredients for themselves. These pages are an attempt at bringing all these potentially useful and often forgotten wild foods together into one place. To use this guide simply click on the first letter of your term above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the terms. You may well find something that surprises you!

This page covers wild foods beginning with the letter 'O' and includes both common and scientific names.

This is the description page for Borage (Borago officinalis) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the wild foodstuff: Borage.

Borage, Borago officinalis, (also known as Echium amoenum and Starflower) is an annual herb belonging to the Boraginaceae (borage or forget-me not) family. The plant originated in Syria but has been naturalized throughout most of Europe, North Africa and Iran.

Normally it grows to about 90cm in height and is distinguished by having bristly hair that covers its stems and bear alternative leaves about 10cm in length. The plant's most striking attributes are its flowers which are either blue or pink in hue and bear five small distinctly pointed petals (hence the name 'starflower'). It reproduces by prolific self-seeding and will grow year-on-year where it was first planted. Though commonly considered a garden plant, because it has been naturalized to mich of Europe it can be considered a 'wild food' as well as a garden herb.

The leaves and flowers of this plant are eaten, especially in Central Europe. The leaves have a pronounced cucumber-like flavour and are used in salads and soups. They are also used in to make the German Frankfurter Grüne Sauce in conjunction with parsley, chervil, chives, cress, sorrel, burnet. The flowers have a sweet honey-like taste and are often used to decorate desserts and salads. They are also frozen in ice-cubes to decorate cocktails.

It should be noted that the leaves contain small amounts (10 ppm of dried herb) of the liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids: intermedine, lycopsamine, amabiline and supinine; though this is generally too little to be toxic in humans.

Mediaeval Salad
Herbs Like Flesh
Borage Soup
Borage and Cucumbers in Sour Cream Dressing
Stuffed Borage Leaves