Fiddlehead

Fiddlehead is a name referring either to a young fern or to the top part of the fern that appears curled. The fiddlehead, or circinate vernation, unrolls as the fern matures and grows, due to more growth in the inside of the curl. The fiddlehead resembles the curled ornamentation on the end of a stringed instrument, such as a fiddle. It is also called a crozier, after the curved staff used by shepherds and bishops.

The fiddleheads of certain ferns are used as a cooked green. The most popular of these are:

• Bracken, Pteridium aquilinum, a worldwide species: the fiddleheads have been cooked and eaten in Japan for centuries; however, they have been implicated in stomach cancer.
• Ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris, an eastern North American species: the fiddleheads are edible as a thoroughly-cooked green but have been found to cause temporary sickness if only sauteed.

The fiddleheads of various other species have also been used, including cinnamon fern, Osmunda cinnamomea.