Topic: Eating Dahlia tubers

[florence]

Not sure if this should go in the edible or non-edible forum?
Has anyone tried eating Dahlia tubers? I leave the plants in the ground and some of them are 15 years old and enormous. I know they can be eaten - is it worth trying and what are they like? Has anyone tried?

[johhnyco15]

its no from the sunshine coast ive tried a loads of stuff  but dont think  id be brave enough to try however please let me know how you get on 

[Palustris]

Read this
http://homegrown-revolution.co.uk/buried-treasure/eatindahlia-yams/

[saddad]

Thanks for the link Palustris.. had read the article before but couldn't find it... not being great at internet searches.

[terrier]

i was told that these plants were introduced into this country in Tudor times as a food crop ( I don't know if this is true or not!), but at that time, they had to get food were they could and literally tried everything they could. Who is going to try them first and post their report?   

[florence]

Thanks for the link Palustris, interesting article - have you tried them?
I have a big Dahlia that I'm not keen on as the earwigs like the flowers so might try and see what it's like - I do agree that if they were great we'd be eating them as a staple. Still worth a try.... Has anyone else had a go?

[Paulh]

The texture and scent of Jerusalem artichokes remind me of dahlia tubers as I dig them up- but do dahlia tubers have the same gaseous properties?

[Palustris]

We cannot grow Dahlias here, they get frosted off before they flower, most years. So, never tried eating them.

[Silverleaf]

I grow a few dahlias because I like the flowers (at least the daisy-type ones, I’m not keen on double flowers). Haven’t got round to tasting the tubers yet though!

[John85]

Not nice and plenty of fibers in the tuber close to the stem

[ACE]

I had to try one didn't I. Just imagine the most tasteless, watery overboiled spud you have ever had, then multiply that by ten. Less taste than a Morrison's own brand pie.

[hartshay]

My grandson would say yuk yuk yuk to these...

From tasting them I concur with Crocodile Dundee  "You can eat them but they taste like  ****"

Just because its edible does not mean its nice to eat!

[florence]

Well done Ace - thanks for your feedback & being brave enough to be chief sampler... I wonder if there's anything else we can suggest you sample for us as well?

I might still have to have a taste to see just how bad they are.

[Silverleaf]

I hear different varieties have different tastes, with the “cactus flower” ones being the best.

[ed dibbles]

Lubera are marketing edible dahlias called DeliDahlias that they claim have slightly different flavours. Claims personally that I would take with a large pinch of salt.

Or perhaps salt is precisely the thing that is needed to make them palatable.

http://www.lubera.co.uk/plants/vegetables-rhubarb-asparagus/vegetables/delidahlias/

[ACE]

Oh, Oh, Oh Delidahlia.