when making beans

[Guest guest]

I cook with this epazote when I'm making beans. I have a plant and I just

wash a few leaves and toss in with the beans. If I don't have this ahndy then I

use dried seaweed called kombu and they both take the gas effects out of the

beans. The konbu is a sea vegetable so it adds a lot of flavor. Easy to find

in an Asian market. Whole foods carries it now too.

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epazote

 

Epazote - pronounced [eh-paw-ZOH-teh]

An herb well-known to Mexican and Caribbean cooking. The name comes from the

Aztec (Nahuatl) epazotl. It is also known as pigweed or Mexican tea and is

frequently regarded as a garden pest. It is most commonly used in black bean

recipes to ward off some of the " negative " side affects of eating beans. Much

like cilantro, it is referred to as an " acquired taste " . The herb is quite

pungent and some say it smells like gasoline or kerosene.

 

Epazote Article Contents

History and Lore Recipes Buy and Store Buy Seeds Medicinal Uses Grow Your Own

Culinary Uses Nutrition

epazote leaf, photo by: gourmetsleuth.com

History and Lore

Epazote (chenopodium ambrosioides) was brought to Europe in the 17th century

from Mexico and used in various traditional medicines. The herb was used by the

Aztecs as a medicine as well as a culinary herb.

 

Buy and Store

Epazote can normally be found fresh in Mexican grocery stores or is available

air-dried. One teaspoon of dried epazote leaves is equivalent to about one

branch, or 7 fresh leaves. Fresh epazote leaves can be placed in a plastic bag

and stored for up to 1 week. You can air-dry the fresh leaves and store in a jar

with a tight-fitting lid. Penzey's is a good source for dried epazote.

 

Medicinal Uses

Epazote contains compounds which actually act as an anti-gas agent ( referred to

as a carminative, which means it reduces gas) when cooked with beans. It's

chief use was as an agent to expel intestinal hookworms (wormseed). According to

Jessica Houdret (The Ultimate Book of Herbs and Herb Gardening) it has also been

" recommended for nervous disorders, asthma, and problems with menstruation).

CAUTION: This herb is poisonous in large does.

 

Recipes

 

 

 

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