''Piper auritum'' is an aromatic culinary

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

in the pepper family Piperaceae, which grows in tropical Central America. Common names include hoja santa ( Spanish for "sacred leaf"), yerba santa, hierba santa, Mexican pepperleaf, acuyo, tlanepa, anisillo, root beer plant, Vera Cruz pepper and sacred pepper.

Description

It is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plant with heart-shaped velvety leaves. The leaves can reach up to or more in size. The complex flavor is not so easily described; it has been compared to

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

licorice Liquorice (British English) or licorice (American English) ( ; also ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring can be extracted. The liq ...

, sassafras,

anise Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to Eurasia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and ta ...

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...

mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaAES g ...

tarragon Tarragon (''Artemisia dracunculus''), also known as estragon, is a species of perennial herb in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread in the wild across much of Eurasia and North America and is cultivated for culinary and medicinal purposes. ...

, and

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diame ...

. The flavor is stronger in the young stems and veins. It is native to the Americas, from northern South America to Mexico, and is also cultivated in southeast Florida and California.

Usage

It is often used in

Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and M ...

in tamales, fish or meat wrapped in its fragrant leaves for cooking, and as an essential ingredient in

mole verde Mole verde ("green mole") is a type of mole of the cuisine of Mexico. The main ingredients are pumpkin seeds and green chile, which bring color. Other ingredients may be green tomatoes, chile poblano, chile de árbol, tails onion, radish leaves, ...

, a green sauce originally from the

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

region of Mexico. It is also used to flavor eggs and soups like pozole. In Central Mexico, it is used to flavor

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

drinks. In southeastern Mexico, a green

liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard ...

called verdín is made from hoja santa. It is also used for tea. In some regions of Mexico,

goat cheese Goat cheese, or chèvre ( or ; from French language, French ''fromage de chèvre'' 'goat cheese'), is cheese made from goat's milk. Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated for producing food. Goat cheese is made around the world w ...

is wrapped in hoja santa leaves and imbued with its flavor. While typically used fresh, it is also used dried, although the drying process removes much of the flavor and makes the leaf too brittle to be used as a wrapper.

Chemistry / Constituents

The leaf oil of Piper auritum contains a relatively high concentration of safrole, around 70%. A few of the other 40 constituents occurring in minor quantities were

α-thujene Thujene (or α-thujene) is a natural organic compound classified as a monoterpene. It is found in the essential oils of a variety of plants, and contributes pungency to the flavor of some herbs such as Summer savory.''PDR for Herbal Medicines'', ...

, α-pinene, camphene, β-pinene,

myrcene Myrcene, or β-myrcene, is a monoterpene. A colorless oil, it occurs widely in essential oils. It is produced mainly semi-synthetically from '' Myrcia'', from which it gets its name. It is an intermediate in the production of several fragrances. � ...

, and limonene.

References

External links

Piper auritum leaf
{{Taxonbar, from=Q585844 auritum Flora of Mexico Flora of Belize Flora of Costa Rica Flora of El Salvador Flora of Guatemala Flora of Honduras Flora of Nicaragua Flora of Panama Flora of Jamaica Crops originating from the Americas Mexican cuisine Taxa named by Carl Sigismund Kunth Flora without expected TNC conservation status