Uses
Salicornia dolichostachya on lower salt marsh, Walney Island, Cumbria © Dr Robert Huxley
A delicacy
Glassworts are also known as samphire and are good to eat. They are:
- traditionally eaten in marshy coastal areas such as the Ribble Estuary in Lancashire
- either cooked from fresh or pickled in vinegar
- currently, a popular addition to cuisine, and can be bought from fishmongers, or eaten in restaurants
Why the name glasswort?
Salicornia dolichostachya and its relatives are called glassworts because they were once used in the glass industry. Approximately half the dry weight of glassworts is salt. Drying and burning salt-rich glassworts supplied sodium for soda-lime glass manufacture, which was used to make bottles and windows.
