Ssukgat (crown daisy)

Ssukgat is the garland chrysanthemum, or crown daisy (Chrysanthemum coronarium), an annual or biennial of the daisy family (Asteraceae). The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture describes a hairless plant 30 to 60 centimeters tall with a distinctive scent and alternate leaves cut twice into deep, feather-like lobes; left to flower, it bears yellow or white daisy-like heads. In older texts it appears under the Sino-Korean names dongho and aeguk. Korea's Rural Development Administration gives its homeland as the Mediterranean coast.

How and when it reached Korea is not documented, but the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture suggests it arrived during the Goryeo period. It is counted among Korea's long-established (jaerae) vegetables. Large-, medium- and small-leaved types exist, and Korean growers mostly plant the medium-leaved kind, which branches freely and grows vigorously. Ssukgat is sown in spring and autumn and can be grown year-round; it is cut when the plants carry roughly five to ten true leaves.

In the kitchen ssukgat is valued more for aroma than bulk. It is tucked into lettuce wraps alongside grilled meat, eaten raw or blanched for a few seconds in salted water and dressed as namul, and added at the very end to spicy fish stews such as maeuntang, to jjigae and to hot pots, where its scent is said to cut the richness of meat and fish. Raw leaves are also tossed with acorn jelly in dotori-muk-muchim.

• Leafy green: Per the Korean Food Composition Table, ssukgat is very low in calories and a source of vitamin K, beta-carotene, folate and calcium.
• Traditional beliefs: Korean farm references describe its aroma as warming the stomach and stirring the appetite, and list folk uses for everything from night vision to blood pressure. These are traditional ideas, not established effects of eating it.
• Sodium in stews: The vegetable itself is modest in sodium, but it is usually eaten in salty stews and hot pots, so the dish, not the green, sets the salt level.
• Vitamin K and warfarin: Ssukgat is high in vitamin K. MedlinePlus advises people taking warfarin to keep their intake of vitamin K–rich greens consistent from week to week; talk with your doctor before changing your diet.
• Daisy-family allergy: As a member of the daisy family, it may be worth caution for people with known allergies to related plants.