and resoaking, straining, and adding sugar.
In Asia, where Chinese and horned water
chestnuts are sometimes cultivated in
contaminated water, these foods have been
known to transmit cysts of a parasitic
intestinal fluke to people who shell them with
their teeth. Fresh versions should be washed
and scrubbed thoroughly before trimming
away their tough outer layer, then washed
again. A brief immersion in boiling water will
guarantee their safety.
Crosnes, or Chinese Artichokes Crosnes are
small tubers of several species of Stachys, an
Asian member of the mint family; they were
brought from China to France in the late 19th
century. Crosnes are crisp and taste nutty and
sweet, something like a sunchoke. They’re
notable for containing an unusual
carbohydrate, stachyose, a combination of two
galactoses and one sucrose. We can’t digest
stachyose, so a large serving of crosnes can