Papalo has a primo chino or Chinese cousin who unfortunately has been poorly done by when it comes to its name. The Japanese named “Sanshichi-so” (Porophyllum japonicum) (1) belongs to the Asteraceae family as do the others originating in the Americas but it is a perennial herb that is native of the southern part of China. It was introduced into Japan as a herbal medicine … Continue reading Porophyllum japonicum
So. What is Mike complaining about? The radish (rábano en español) The radish (Raphanus sativus) is a flowering plant in the mustard family, Brassicaceae, which also includes Brassica rapa – the turnip, Brassica oleracea – the cabbage and its relatives (1); and Armoracia rusticana – horseradish. Other herbs in this family include arugula (rocket), mustard, and watercress (horseradish should be here I guess. I consider … Continue reading Rábano. The Radish.
Lengua de vaca Now, when I speak of lengua de vaca (cows tongue) I am not speaking of the actual tongue of a cow but of a wild herb or “quelite”. The herb is no doubt (as you will see further down) named for its general appearance (shape and size wise in some cases) of a cows tongue. Commonly used and appreciated in México, the … Continue reading Quelite : Lengua de vaca
An interesting quelite has popped up in my feed. The flor de cimal. A reader (thank you Kellan) has asked about a (possible) quelite called flor de cimal and has noted the only reference to be found on this plant is “This small, red-leafed herb that grows at the base of the maguey – century plant – is incorporated into tamale dough in the traditional … Continue reading Flor de cimal (?)
The language of botany and medicine can be quite poetic. The words are derived from historical languages and may (usually) contain Latin or Greek terms (1) and each word if etymologically (2) broken down is a story in itself. As a somewhat appropriate example I present an example as given by Babbel Magazine (3). “The word avocado comes from Spanish aguacate (sometimes ahuacate), which in … Continue reading Allelopathy and Companion Planting.
Researching this herb has been a joy. It has identified a plant I have seen (as a weed) and am now able to identify as a useful quelite. Research has also uncovered several related plants that also fall into the same categories as weed/quelite. This has expanded my knowledge both as a medical herbalist and as a chef. These are the plants I find the … Continue reading Quelite : Piojito : Galinsoga parviflora
A tlaltequeada is a kind of vegetable based rissole (1) typically made with vegetables, fruits, flowers and seeds. It is the perfect example of a quilitl (quelite) based dish and it could be argued that it is representative of a vegetable based cuisine as it would have been practised by prehispanic Mesoamericans. rissoles are what an Australian might call meat patties that include some grated … Continue reading Prehispanic Veganismo – The Tlaltequeada
This Post combines two of my favourite things when it comes to Mesoamerican food science. Quelites and mole. Now by and large quelites are plants we would (in some parts anyway) consider to be weeds, both agricultural and urban, but these plants are some of the most nutritious and medicinal that nature has to offer us. We underestimate these plants at every turn. Mole is … Continue reading Quelites y Mole
Mexico (and the Americas in general) has given much to the worlds food larder. We are familiar with many of these foods even though we might not know where exactly the came from (1). We can thank the Americas for staple foods such as corn, potatoes, tomatoes, beans (2), squashes, chiles, avocados, the turkey, vanilla and cacao (3) as well as the highly nutritious seeds … Continue reading 31 Alimentos que México dio al mundo : 31 foods that Mexico gave to the World
Cover Image : Bas relief of Itzcoatl at the Jardin de la Triple Alianza (Garden of the Triple Alliance) in México city. Find the garden at Calle de Filomeno Mata, corner of Tacuba, Centro Histórico, Cuauhtémoc, 06000 CDMX. I have been drawn to the quelites of México ever since I was exposed to the word “papaloquelite” in a book by Josefina Howard. This curiosity was … Continue reading Tianquiztli
Masa Americana 