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Story: Ferns and lycophytes

Māori use of fiddleheads

Video file

The Māori tradition of eating pikopiko – the fiddleheads or young leaf tips of hen and chickens ferns – has been revived in recent years. In this clip from cooking programme, Taste New Zealand, Charles Royal gathers and prepares pikopiko for a traditional meal.

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TVNZ Television New Zealand

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How to cite this page

Patrick Brownsey, Ferns and lycophytes – Ferns in New Zealand culture, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/10908/maori-use-of-fiddleheads (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Patrick Brownsey, published 1 March 2009.