It’s that time of year, time to go on a chadron hunt! You probably know them as thistles. Thistles are thorny plants that grow in pastures and along roadsides. They have purplish pink flowers. Most people would consider them weeds and mow them down. But in South Louisiana, people actually eat them! Cutting down, peeling, and snacking on thistles is an old tradition.
For hundreds of years, most people who lived at Evergreen Plantation and the surrounding area spoke French. Some people still do. They would call a thistle a chadron. It sounds like SHAH-DRON. Chadron comes from chardon, the French word for thistle. Grandparents have passed down this tradition for generations.
Look for the younger thistles that are short and don’t have flowers yet. Those are tender and taste the best. Children in south Louisiana say thistles taste kind of like celery, only a little sweeter. They love the freedom of running through pastures in search of the spiky plants. Adults sometimes slice up the thistles and toss them in vinegar and salt and pepper.
Le Meschacébé, April 27, 1878, featuring folktales
In fact, chadron was so ubiquitous in the culture of the River Road area surrounding Evergreen Plantation that it was even referenced in Le Meschacébé, the local newspaper. Chadron is mentioned in a story involving Compair Bouki, a character in folktales that were brought to Louisiana by enslaved Africans from Senegal and were passed down for generations. Similar to the Br’er Rabbit tales, the stories of Compair Lapin and Compair Bouki—Brother Rabbit and Brother Hyena—were part of an oral storytelling tradition that took place in the cabins at Evergreen and the other plantations lining the River Road. Alcée Fortier, a Creole professor who grew up in a neighboring parish, recorded and published these stories. This particular passage translates: “Bouki [the Hyena] gathered pokeweed and thistles along the road.”
China at Evergreen Plantation featuring a thistle design
Are there any thistles growing near your house? Would you eat one? Like Bouki, we went for a walk down the road to see if we could find chadron. Watch as we harvest, peel, and try chadron for the first time!