I’ve only recently realized I am a big fan of purple food.

I really enjoy eggplant, figs, grapes (raisins, too) and plums. I mostly prefer the purple variations of standard green food: purple-tinged artichokes, purple-tipped asparagus, purple-colored cabbage and purple string beans. Then, there are the unusual purple variations I enjoy: purple tomatoes, purple bell peppers, purple broccoli, purple carrots, purple basil, and even purple potatoes. Now, I’ve added a new product to my growing list of purple foods – purple rocket.

Rocket is a generic name for the increasingly popular salad green, which is also known as arugula, roquette (to the French, and probably why the English call it rocket), rucola, rauke and senfkohl. The purple rocket is one variety from the dozens of other types, which are either cultivated or found wild throughout the Mediterranean region and central Europe.

I’m actually quite surprised at rocket’s growing popularity in Switzerland, because the Swiss palate tends to be…well neutral. The sharp or pungent flavor of the rocket comes from being a member of the mustard family. The flavor intensifies as the plant matures through warmer months.   

I began experimenting with purple rocket in mid-March when I first discovered it at the market. At that time, the flavor was quite mild with a perceptible hazelnut influence. As the year progresses and the weather gradually warms, the nuttiness remains, but the flavor has turned noticeably sharp with a bite which leaves no doubt this plant is a relative of the mustard family.

Taming rocket’s pungent flavor requires a balance in tastes. Some cookbooks will tell you to use the raw milder leaves in salads, and cook the sharper leaves as the year progresses. I think this approach is backwards. Cooking intensifies flavors and tastes rather than pacifying them. Sure, the sharpness of rocket may dissipate, but the bitterness will be left behind…and in higher concentrations. I think it is far better to try and achieve a balance in the mouth by using acids, fats and salt – all of which will counteract pungency and bitterness. A good of example of this approach can be found in the classical preparation of an Italian rocket salad, which is made with lemon juice, olive oil and plenty of parmesan cheese.

Rocket is a good source of magnesium, calcium and vitamins A and C. It has a long medicinal history primarily focusing on stomach ailments and coughing prevention…oh, and as an aphrodisiac as well. The seeds are also harvested and either used like mustard seeds or turned into a popular oil – primarily for use in the Indian kitchen.

Green rocket and its purple cousin are interchangeable and there are many ways to use them. So far, I have used purple rocket to make a simple salad with very ripe acidic tomatoes from Sicily, a wonderful tortelloni filling combining purple rocket with fresh ricotta cheese and bärlauch, an aromatic quick pasta sauce mixing purple rocket and asparagus tips, and a delightfully nutty pesto made from purple rocket and roasted pine nuts.

The purple rocket I am finding is produced in the Canton of Aargau and available at the Oerlikon market on Wednesdays and Saturdays as well as the market at Helvetiaplatz on Tuesdays and Fridays. Purple rocket may not be easy to find, but green rocket is available throughout the year at the markets. Swiss rocket is best from March through September.

Although purple rocket may not be available everywhere, it’s still very nice to see more farmers taking chances and (re)introducing different products at the market.