Rhubarb is tart, even mouth-puckeringly sour. Its fruity flavor is often likened to a mix of apple and gooseberry, which is why it’s often cooked together with sugar into a delicious jam or compote. Rhubarb bakes well, too, hence all the recipes for rhubarb upside-down cakes, custard tarts, and galettes. And to prove that what grows together goes together, seasonal strawberries and rhubarb are a delicious match.

While we use rhubarb predominantly as a fruit, it’s technically a vegetable and can be revelatory in savory uses.

It’s delicious RAW SPRINKLED WITH SALT or in a savory stew like the Persian KHORESH-E-RIVAS (lamb stewed with mint, garlic, onions, and rhubarb). For a RHUBARB SALSA, chop it coarsely together with tomato, garlic, serrano, cilantro, and onion. To make a RHUBARB TOMATO PASTA SAUCE, cook 2 cups chopped tomatoes with 1 cup chopped rhubarb plus your favorite aromatics like onion, garlic, herbs, and chile flakes. For a delicious RHUBARB GAZPACHO, add the chopped rhubarb to your classic mix of tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and olive oil. If you want to include lemon juice, add it sparingly and taste as you go. Make SITR-FRIED RHUBARB AND SHRIMP by pan-cooking fresh rhubarb with onions, garlic, and ginger and fresh shrimp. Or PICKLE IT for use in our recipe here!