fiddlehead

[fid-l-hed]

noun

1. Nautical.,  a billethead having a form similar to the volute carved at the upper end of a violin.

2. the young, coiled frond of various species of ferns, eaten as a vegetable.

fiddlehead

/ ˈfɪdəlˌhɛd /

noun

1. nautical an ornamental carving, in the shape of the scroll at the head end of a fiddle, fitted to the top of the stem or cutwater

2. the edible coiled tip of a young fern frond

Word History and Origins

Origin of fiddlehead¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; fiddle + head

Example Sentences

Spring specialties: garlic scapes, pea shoots, ramps, fiddlehead ferns, English peas, fava beans.

From Salon

So it’s like: Push yourself a little bit, to sea urchin, to fiddleheads.

From Seattle Times

They are also great sauteed in a pan with fiddleheads, the unopened foliage of the ostrich fern, whose season is approaching.

From Seattle Times

Ms. Mori’s creations look like chimerical species — hybrids of barnacles and cumulus clouds, a baobab and a weeping willow, a waterlily and fiddlehead ferns, sea urchin spines and a swarm of starlings.

From New York Times

Gradually, native ingredients like kawakawa or fiddlehead ferns, as well as traditional cooking techniques, have inspired non-Maori New Zealand chefs like Al Brown or Ben Bayly.

From New York Times