What's Agretti?

Italian agretti has been erroneously called marsh grass or glasswort, which is a different plant species. Italian agretti is also known as roscana in Italy and saltwort.

Rather rare, Italian Agretti is an inherently salty green heirloom herb that delivers a succulent texture and a pleasantly acidic tart taste when it is harvested fresh and young. Measuring anywhere from eight to twelve inches in length and appropriately named, agretti means "little sour one". This entire plant is harvested in bunches when young and enjoyed fresh or cooked.

This versatile fresh tender green may be enjoyed fresh or cooked. Toss fresh in mixed green salads for a pleasant slightly salty crunch.

Like Samphire (Crithmum maritimum),
Agretti (Salsola soda) is a halophyte, tolerant of salty soils, and will happily grow at the edge of salty marshes.

It tends to be a bit salty tasting, even when grown in normally irrigated soils, and can be a bit tart, like purslane or some
kinds of spinach.

This sourness complements a grassy freshness and a texture that is something like young asparagus, at once crisp and succulent.

Very tender Agretti can be used raw as a component of tossed salads; simply rinse and dry, then break or cut up the tender parts and add to the salad. More usually, the edible stalks are separated from the root, rinsed and blanched for up
to ten minutes, then drained, drizzled with oil and lemon juice, and served as a green or warm salad. Locally,
raw Agretti takes the place of the closely related Okahijiki (Salsola komarovi) in sushi, where the tartness,
saltiness and texture find a good home.