How to Eat Navelwort? A Guide to Safely Foraging and Enjoying This Wild Green

October 6, 2025 •

4 min read

Did you know that the fleshy, succulent leaves of navelwort, a wild edible, can add a unique cucumber-like flavor to your meals? Knowing how to eat navelwort safely and deliciously involves proper identification, harvesting techniques, and understanding the best ways to prepare it.

Quick Summary

Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris) is an edible wild plant with succulent leaves that can be enjoyed raw in salads, blended into pesto, or added to stir-fries. This guide covers how to identify, harvest, and safely prepare this nutritious wild green.

Key Points

Identification: Look for the distinctive round, succulent leaves with a central depression, growing on old walls and rocky areas.
Harvest: Harvest in winter or early spring for the mildest flavor, picking the younger leaves.
Raw: Enjoy navelwort raw in salads or pestos, where its crisp, juicy, and slightly cucumber-like taste shines.
Cooked: Navelwort can be cooked in stir-fries or stews, but be aware that it can become slimy and potentially bitter if cooked for too long.
Safety: Always ensure proper identification and forage in clean, uncontaminated areas, enjoying in moderation.
Flavor: The taste is often described as similar to a salty cucumber or a crisp lettuce.
Nutrition: Navelwort is a nutritious wild green rich in vitamins A and C, along with essential minerals.

What Is Navelwort? Identification and Habitat

Navelwort, also known as wall pennywort or penny-pies (Umbilicus rupestris), is a distinctive wild plant found primarily in western Britain, southern Europe, and North Africa. It is a perennial herb with a unique appearance that makes it relatively easy to identify. The plant features fleshy, round, bright green leaves that have a central depression where the stem attaches, giving it a 'navel-like' appearance and inspiring its common name. Later in the season, it produces tall, slender, straw-colored flower spikes with bell-shaped blossoms.

Habitat and Foraging

Navelwort is most commonly found growing in rocky, shady, or damp places. Look for it in crevices of old stone walls, on rocky banks, and sometimes at the base of old trees. When foraging, always follow responsible practices:

Positive Identification: Ensure you are 100% certain of your identification. While navelwort is safe, other plants can be dangerous. Do not confuse it with Centella asiatica (Indian Pennywort), a different medicinal herb.
Safe Location: Harvest from areas away from roadsides, industrial zones, or anywhere that may be contaminated by pollutants or animal waste.
Sustainable Harvesting: Only take what you need and leave plenty for the plant to thrive and reproduce.

How to Eat Navelwort: Raw and Cooked Methods

Navelwort's succulent leaves can be used in both raw and cooked applications, each offering a slightly different flavor and texture profile. The leaves are best harvested in winter and early spring, before the plant flowers, when they are young and have a mild flavor. As the plant matures, especially in the heat of summer, the leaves can become more bitter.

Eating Navelwort Raw

This is the most common way to enjoy navelwort and preserves its best qualities.

In Salads: The crisp, juicy leaves add a refreshing, slightly salty, cucumber-like taste to mixed green salads. They pair well with other foraged greens like dandelion or sorrel.
In Pesto: Blend navelwort with wild garlic, dandelion greens, olive oil, and nuts for a flavorful, nutrient-dense pesto.
As a Snack: The leaves are a great thirst-quencher when eaten fresh while out walking.

Cooking Navelwort

While cooking navelwort is possible, it is less common due to the leaves' tendency to become slimy.

Stir-fries: Add young, tender leaves toward the end of cooking to maintain some texture and prevent sliminess.
Stews and Soups: If adding to stews, consider that the succulent leaves will soften significantly.

A Quick Recipe: Burmese-Style Navelwort Salad

This simple, flavorful salad recipe highlights navelwort's unique texture and taste.

Ingredients:

100g navelwort leaves
50g three-cornered leek or spring onions, finely chopped
1 lime, juiced and zested
3 tbsp sesame or groundnut oil
1 tsp miso paste
1 green chili, finely chopped (optional)
2 raw garlic cloves, finely chopped (optional)
100g roasted peanuts, roughly ground

Instructions:

Wash the navelwort leaves thoroughly and pat them dry.
In a mortar, combine the navelwort, three-cornered leek, lime zest, and roasted peanuts. Lightly bash with the pestle until the greens are slightly broken up, but not a complete puree.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime juice, oil, and miso paste until well combined.
Add the chili and garlic (if using) to the dressing.
Spoon the navelwort mixture into bowls and drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Value and Potential Health Benefits

Navelwort is more than just a culinary curiosity; it offers a range of nutritional benefits.

Nutrient Rich: It is a good source of vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron.
Diuretic and Anti-inflammatory: The plant's juice has traditionally been used as a tonic for the liver and spleen due to its purported diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Topical Uses: Historically, navelwort leaves have been used in poultices to treat mild burns, scalds, and piles.

Navelwort vs. Other Common Wild Greens


Feature	Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris)	Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)	Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)
Taste	Succulent, slightly salty, cucumber-like when young.	Bitter, slightly spicy, can vary.	Tangy, sour, lemony.
Texture	Fleshy, crisp, and juicy.	Leafy, can be tough if mature.	Soft, broad leaves.
Best Use	Raw in salads, pestos; cooked in stir-fries.	Raw in salads (especially young leaves); cooked in greens.	Soups, sauces, salads.
Habitat	Walls, rocks, shady, damp places.	Lawns, fields, disturbed ground.	Grasslands, meadows.

Conclusion

Navelwort is a versatile and nutritious wild edible that can be a rewarding addition to a forager's pantry. By learning how to identify it properly, harvest it responsibly, and prepare it in ways that highlight its unique flavor and texture, you can safely enjoy this remarkable wild green. Whether you prefer it raw in a crisp salad or blended into a vibrant pesto, navelwort offers a simple way to connect with the natural world and add a boost of nutrition to your diet.

For more in-depth information on foraging, you can visit Eatweeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Navelwort has a juicy, slightly salty, and cucumber-like flavor, especially when the leaves are young and harvested in the spring.

Yes, you can cook navelwort, but it can become slimy if cooked too long. It is often best to use it in quick-cooked dishes like stir-fries or to eat it raw in salads.

Look for its unique, fleshy, round leaves with a navel-like dimple, growing in rosettes on walls, rocks, and shady, damp places. Be absolutely certain of your identification before consuming.

No, they are different plants. While both are sometimes called pennywort, it is crucial not to confuse them, especially for medicinal uses.

Yes, navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris) is considered safe for consumption in moderation. However, always ensure proper identification and forage in clean, uncontaminated areas.

The succulent leaves are the most commonly eaten part. Stems and flowers can also be edible, but the leaves provide the best texture and flavor.

The leaves are best picked in winter and early spring, before the plant flowers. As the plant matures and produces flowers, the leaves become more bitter.