''Silene vulgaris'', the bladder campion or maidenstears, is a plant species of the genus ''

Silene ''Silene'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Containing nearly 900 species, it is the largest genus in the family. Common names include campion and catchfly. Many ''Silene'' species are widely distributed, particularl ...

'' of the family ''

Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactacea ...

''. It is native to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, where in some parts it is eaten, but is also widespread in North America, where it is a common wildflower in meadows, open woods, and fields.

Gastronomy

The young shoots and the leaves may be used as food in some countries of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

region. The tender leaves may be eaten raw in salads. The older leaves are usually eaten boiled or fried, sauteed with garlic as well as in

omelette In cuisine, an omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from beaten eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan (without stirring as in scrambled egg). It is quite common for the omelette to be folded around fillings such as chives ...

Crete and Cyprus

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

it is called ''agriopapoula'' () and the locals eat its leaves and tender shoots browned in olive oil. In

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

it is very widely eaten, so much that it has, in recent years, come back into being cultivated and sold in shops in bunches. Two of the common Cypriot names are ''strouthouthkia'' (; ) and ''tsakrithkia'' (; ).

Italy

In Italy the leaves of this plant may be used also as an ingredient in

risotto Risotto (, , from meaning "rice") is a northern Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and Pa ...

. It is commonly known as ''sculpit'', ''stridolo'', or by the obsolete scientific name ''Silene inflata'', as well as ''s-ciopetin'', or ''grixol'' in

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

, and ''nenkuz'', or ''sclopit'' in

Friuli Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giuli ...

and ''cojet'' in

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

Spain (La Mancha)

Formerly in

La Mancha La Mancha () is a natural and historical region located in the Spanish provinces of Albacete, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, and Toledo. La Mancha is an arid but fertile plateau (610 m or 2000 ft) that stretches from the mountains of Toledo to th ...

region of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, where ''Silene vulgaris'' leaves are valued as a

green vegetable Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad gre ...

, there were people known as ''"collejeros"'' who picked these plants and sold them. Leaves are small and narrow, so it takes many plants to obtain a sizeable amount. In La Mancha the ''Silene vulgaris'' leaves, locally known as ''"collejas"'', were mainly used to prepare a dish called ''gazpacho viudo'' (widower gazpacho). The ingredients were flatbread known as ''

tortas de gazpacho Torta de gazpacho is a type of torta, or flat bread, used to prepare a dish called ''gazpacho'' or ''gazpacho manchego'' in La Mancha and Southeast Spain, including Murcia and parts of the autonomous community of Valencia. A ''torta de g ...

'' and a stew prepared with ''Silene vulgaris'' leaves.''Gazpacho viudo'' recipe
/ref> Other dishes prepared with these leaves in Spain include ''"potaje de garbanzos y collejas"'', ''" huevos revueltos con collejas"'' and ''"

arroz Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticated ...

con collejas"''.

References

External links

Guisado de collejasArroz con collejas
{{Taxonbar, from=Q511103 vulgaris Flora of Europe Flora of temperate Asia Flora of North Africa Flora of Macaronesia Saponaceous plants