Angelica: Jane wrigglesworth finds myriad uses for this versatile herb

摘要

I have before me several fat, psychedelic green stalks the width of my middle finger. They've been boiled, peeled and boiled again, then soaked in so much sugar syrup that they bear a resemblance to a gelatinous goo. They don't look particularly appealing, but in the interest of research, I shall now pop one of these jellied stems into my mouth. This unlikely sweet is candied angelica, a favourite of renowned British food writer Elizabeth David and a not-so-favourite of another Brit foodie, Jane Grigson. The French have been candying it since the 1600s, and the town of Niort, in the Poitu region of France, has specialised in candied angelica since the late 1700s. I thought I might like to specialise in it in my own kitchen, but now I 'm not so sure.