About Corydalis ambigua Cham. & Schltdl.
Corydalis ambigua Cham. & Schltdl. is a tuberous, early-flowering flowering plant species from East Asia, belonging to the poppy family Papaveraceae. Taxonomic confusion has made its exact native range unclear. This species is one of the sources of the drug tetrahydropalmatine.
Corydalis ambigua is included in traditional Ainu cuisine. The Ainu, particularly groups living in the Ishikari valley, Saghalien, and Southern Kuriles, extensively eat the bulbs of this plant. The bulb has a slightly bitter taste, which can be removed by repeated boiling in water. In Etorup, Ainu people boil the bulbs with a specific type of earth to remove the bitterness. The prepared bulbs can be eaten simply boiled, or mixed with rice. In Saghalien, the bulbs are generally cooked with seal fat. Boiled bulbs are often dried to store them for later use.
