Samphire

Samphire is a name given to a number of succulent salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) that tend to be associated with water bodies.

[4] In the 14th century glassmakers located their workshops near regions where this plant grew, since it was so closely linked to their trade.

Other Australians have recently discovered the potential of the species as a food plant and it has begun to appear on restaurant menus across the country.

[6][7] A variety of rock samphire known as Paccasasso del Conero, or sea fennel,[8] is well known in Italy along the Adriatic coast.

This variety is typically used in local recipes such as a mortadella and paccasasso sandwich, pasta with mussels and paccasassi, or in fresh salad.