A few days ago, my neighbor handed me a bag full of the strangest-looking “roots” I had ever come across—dark, horn-shaped, and almost prehistoric in appearance. At first, I had absolutely no idea what they were. They didn’t look like any vegetable I knew, and honestly, they seemed more like something you’d discover deep in the woods than in a kitchen.
My curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to do some research. As it turns out, these unusual-looking objects aren’t roots at all, but the fruit of an aquatic plant called Trapa natans, commonly referred to as water caltrop or horned water chestnut.
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What Exactly Is Trapa natans?
Despite the name, this is not the same as the crunchy sliced water chestnuts often used in stir-fries (those come from an entirely different plant). Trapa natans grows in freshwater lakes and ponds, producing floating leaves and distinctive fruits that sink to the bottom once they fully mature.
