For those who like to complain of such things…….This IS NOT a sponsored or paid article. I am simply posting it as I find the herb (and the product) to be interesting. I have not eaten any of the following products featured in this Post (except the guajillos and dried hoja santa por supesto). Hey but if you want to sponsor me (or send me samples) then please contact me.

I have recently come across a product that contains my favourite Mexican herb papaloquelite.

Produced by Chilipines México who according to their website “select the most representative ingredients of the country such as chili peppers, fruits, plants, herbs, spices and edible insects to transform them with a deep love and pride in our Mexican traditions and flavours in an artisanal way into a delicious experience to share on everyone’s table.”

Advertised as a “Delicious 100% natural artisanal table sauce, (of a) chimichurri or pesto type, with the flavour and aroma of the herbs of our traditional cuisine.”

It is the first commercial product I have seen that uses papalo as an ingredient. Papalo is generally recommended to be eaten raw as its oils are volatile and its ephemeral flavour is destroyed by cooking, and, for the same reason it is not a herb that is dried and stored. This is typical of many of the plants known as “quelites” (1), many of which are only available seasonally for a short period of time and/or in limited geographical areas. Papalo, along with Romeritos (2), is one of very few examples of the indigenous Mexican quelites which still remain popular (and so popular that the are grown commercially).

1. Quelites : Quilitl
2. Quelites : Romeritos

Other salsa offerings produced by Chilipines México

Salsa Hoja Santa : Hoja santa, vegetable oil, olive oil, cane vinegar, habanero chili, fresh garlic, sea salt and spices.

Salsa Mango con Chile Guajillo : Edible vegetable oil, mango, sugar, guajillo chili, cane vinegar, fresh garlic, sea salt and spices.

Salsa Ahumada Chapulin con Chile Chipotle : Edible vegetable oil, Chipotle chili, cane vinegar, fresh garlic, grasshopper (Sphenarium purpurascens), vinegar, sea salt and spices.

and just in case you were wondering what a chapulin is……..

…and in a taco….

For some light reading on this herb (papalo) check out the following links (or just search for it on my blog – but be warned it is a primary focus on what I do and there’s tonnes of info on it to be found)

Pápalo por qué es popular en taquerías de México (Papalo why it is popular in taco shops in Mexico) : https://www.elsiglodedurango.com.mx/noticia/2020/papalo-por-que-es-popular-en-taquerias-de-mexico.html

El pápalo: el casi olvidado rey de la gastronomía mexicana (Pápalo: the almost forgotten king of Mexican gastronomy) : https://www.local.mx/ciudad-de-mexico/medio-ambiente/flora/papalo-gastronomia-mexicana/

You can check out the Chipilines website at https://chilipines.com/