Recently I've been working on a couple of magazine assignments about the
hot new herbs and plants for 2014 for restaurants. My research started
with new restaurant trends on-line, then I've been concentrating on
interviews with chefs around the country. Not surprisingly, locally
sourced produce is even bigger this year than last, new introductions of
non-wheat pasta and noodles, sustainable seafood and children's menus
in upscale restaurants are a few of the items.
 |
| Papalo, growing on mature plant. |
One hot new herb that surprised me a bit for this year is papalo
(Porophyllum macrocephalum),
sometimes commonly dubbed "Buzzard's Breath" (although I'm guessing
there won't be any chefs across the U.S. who will use that name; let's
see, how might that sound on a menu..... farm-raised pork cemitas with
seasonal chilies and buzzard's breath sauce...)
Used like cilantro in Bolivia, where my original seed start came from,
as well in some states in Mexico, it's easy to see (or smell) why it got
dubbed buzzard's breath. Just getting near the plant you'll get a whiff
of something akin to aluminum with lemony overtones with some rue and
other smells thrown in. That's on the mature plant, which isn't the
stage of the plant normally used. The flavor has been described as
something like a combination of arugula, mint and cilantro, although
that doesn't quite describe it, either. The flavor is unique to the
plant.
 |
| Cemitas, a Mexican sandwich. |
Papalo is also commonly eaten raw on cemitas - sometimes known as a
cemita poblana, which is a Mexican sandwich and street food that
originated in the city of Puebla. Papalo is also sometimes found in
guacamole and in Mexico it is used fresh in soups and stews. In Bolivia
native Quechua people call it Killi and eat it daily just torn up onto
foods. (If you use the search button on my blog for papalo, to the
right, you can find more that I've written about this interesting herb).
 |
| Papalo sold as young, pulled seedlings in Acalpulco markets. |
Papalo is showing up in gardens from California to New York City, and in
markets with large Hispanic populations. However, a lot of Hispanics
from other parts of Mexico or South America may not know the plant at
all. I found it in the markets in Acalpulco when I visited there a few
years back and admit I didn't understand the plant at all until then.
I'd always let mine get to 3 or 4 feet tall and found the flavor of the
leaves unpleasant. But in the markets of Acalpulco I discovered it was
being grown as seedlings, the whole plant pulled up at about 12 to 15
inches tall, and the flavor of the plant was vastly better than from the
mature plant.
 |
| Vendor in Mexico selling papalo. |
Even though regular cilantro
(Coriandrum sativum) is used
extensively in Mexican cooking, that herb is not native to anywhere in
the Americas (it is native to the eastern Mediterranean). But Papalo is
native to the Americas and can be found growing wild from Bolivia
northward as far as the southern U.S.
Here's a simple recipe to try when you're learning the flavors of this
ancient herb. It's a simple green sauce and if you travel in Mexico, you
may encounter the sauce used on eggs, sandwiches or other dishes.
8 green tomatillos, diced
1 green onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, whole
1 serrano or jalapeno chile, stem and seeds removed
4 or 5 fresh papalo leaves
1 large or 2 small avocados, diced
2 teaspoons olive oil
In a small skillet, combine the oil, tomatillos, onion, garlic and chile
and simmer on medium heat until the tomatillos are soft, about 10
minutes.
Pour the ingredients into a food processor, along with the papalo leaves
(I sometimes add juice of 1/2 lime, too) and pulse blend until
everything is chunky-smooth.
Pour into a bowl and add the diced avocado. Let stand for about 30
minutes for flavors to blend well. Serve with chips or as a sauce on
your favorite morning egg dish.
The following companies offer papalo seed:
Nichols Garden Nursery
Southern Exposure Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
