Its stems and long, slender roots can be served as food, rich with glucose (starch) and with a taste similar to potato. It can be made into thick soup or a side dish to meat. In the western world salsify is often called "oyster plant" because of a slight resemblance to oysters in flavor.
黑皮波羅門蔘是一種菊科二年生植物，根莖可食，富含澱粉，滋味略似蕃薯，歐洲人嗜食它，常用來煮濃湯或作為吃牛排時的配菜。