K’wálx - Fiddlehead Ferns - Glacier Bay Ethnobotany

Fiddlehead ferns are a wonderful addition to the rainforest environment of Southeast Alaska.

NPS Photo / S. Tevebaugh

K’wálx
Fiddlehead Ferns

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Huna Tlingit collect and eat K’wálx —from various fern species—in spring when the fern fronds first emerge and look like fiddleheads. They wash away a brown fuzz that clings to the fiddleheads, clean them gently, add a little salt and boil them until tender. Served these days with butter, some people say the fiddleheads taste like sweet potatoes.