Help! I bought these delicious little tubers at the farmers’ market yesterday, but have no idea what they’re called! They are tiny tubers, between an inch and two inches long, and they look like little white maggots. I’ve shown them here with a particularly nice and ripe plum tomato to give an idea of the size.
These little tubers can be eaten raw, and taste a bit like Jerusalem artichokes or asparagus.
The farmer who sold them to me said they are called ‘cosnes’, pronounced ‘cones’, but when I Google this name, nothing comes up. He also said they taste delicious when sauteed in butter or olive oil, something which I have no doubt is entirely accurate.
Does anyone have any idea what these little beauties are called?
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This was posted on Monday, February 5th, 2007 at 8:00 pm by Ysanne Spevack. To link here, use the permalink. You can follow any responses to this post through the 
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These tubers look like jerusalem artichokes to me. They make great soup – but watch out – the next few days could be quite tricky. They have an affect on the body like sprouts and baked beans – but much worse!!
Posted by Rivernene on 7th February 2007 at 8:12 am | Permalink
They look to me like Oca, which is a member of the sorrel family. Oxalis tuberosa. A great permaculture plant. It makes an edible leaf like sorrel and a lemon flavoured tuber. They taste better if overwintered a bit. Easy to grow and very tasty. Like the other members of the family though, they contain oxalic acid and ought not be eaten to excess. That’s what they look like to me anyway!
Enjoy them!
Rob
Posted by Rob Hopkins on 7th February 2007 at 10:03 am | Permalink
The tubers are Ullocos (Oxalis) Tuberosa orignally a South American (Andean) staple, similar to potato. They can be used like a potato, although they do look similar to a Jerusalem artichoke. Having cooked some last year I found they did not possess the earthy tang of an artichoke, but were not quite as tasty as a conventional potato, actually somewhat bland. As with Jerusalem artichokes best used in soups or highly spiced curries.
Posted by Jay Pullani on 7th February 2007 at 9:46 pm | Permalink
They look like weird little maggots to me lol x
Posted by Katie on 8th February 2007 at 3:51 pm | Permalink
They are discussed in the Dec 2006 issue of ‘Grown your Own’ magazine. Their latin name is Stachys affinis, and they are also known as Chinese or Japanese artichokes (though apparently their closest relative in the garden is mint). The article recommends eating them raw, lightly steamed or in stir fries. enjoy!
Posted by Maria on 10th February 2007 at 10:01 am | Permalink
this is very popular in my home country-China. Generally, we use it to make pickles.
Posted by Xin on 11th February 2007 at 7:02 pm | Permalink
AN OLD (MYSTERY) VEGETABLE
Dear Ysanne,
Depicted above is Tupinambur, Topinambo or Aguaturma (Helianthus tuberosus). Can be used instead of sweet potato, manioc, yam, etc.
Really enjoy your site! Good luck with everything..
greetings,
Jarko
Posted by Jarko Almuli on 15th February 2007 at 9:55 am | Permalink
I’m sure the plant is Stachys tuberosa or Japanese Crosne, allround 1700 it was farmed as vegetable tuber in France.
The others who look like it are Oca(oxalis tuberosa), Ullucos tuberosa and Tropaeolum tuberosa
Posted by Stein on 17th February 2007 at 9:26 am | Permalink
YES!!! THAT WAS IT!!! Now I remember what the farmer said – not ‘cosnes’ bu ‘CROSNES’…. Oh what a difference one letter makes. Thank you everyone for helping solve this mystery. I love it when readers make comments – so nice when everyone joins in
Oh, and here’s some more info… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stachys_affinis
Posted by Ysanne on 18th February 2007 at 2:09 am | Permalink
It is Stachys affinis —”crosnes” (stachys artichoke)
Posted by Brian on 22nd May 2007 at 4:57 am | Permalink
These little tubers are called by several names:
Crosnes (pronounced “krone”), crosnes du Japon, Chorogi (in Japanese), Japanese artichoke, or Chinese artichoke. The botanical name is Stachys affinis. I first saw these little objects that resembled “Michelin tire men” in an outdoor produce market in France, and I was shocked to see them, also! I thought they were larva or another type of insect! The French saleslady told me the name and that they were a vegetable. They are popular in France and Japan, where they are eaten as a New Year’s food speciality. You can find on-line photos and info. about Crosnes if you Google them.
Posted by Judith on 29th March 2008 at 7:29 pm | Permalink