Italian Wild Onions 'Lampascioni'

Around the Mediterranean, the bulb of the elegant Squill or Squill Hyacinth has been known for thousands of years as a nutritious delicacy and (because it grows wild along the slopes) a typical food that was consumed shortly after the last Ice Age. The Italians in particular have elevated the preparation (cooking and pickling) of these bulbs to an art form, which is why we have dubbed them Lampascioni, the original regional name by which they are known in Southern Italy and Sicily. They resemble pickled onions, but taste unique: a strong aroma, a touch bitter and spicy, but when prepared well, just sour enough to make you say “buonissimi”! The Greeks, by the way, call the bulbs “Voulvi”. There is something strange about bitterness in taste… We try to work it away, but with the right combination, for example with “Fave e Cicoria” (bean puree with chicory), a Mediterranean flavor is created, which symbolizes life itself there: the sweet bitterness. Sweet and bitter: one cannot exist without the other!

Names:
Latin: Muscari comosum
Dutch: Italian Wild Onions
Also known as: Voulvi
English: Italian Wild Onions