Piper auritum explained

Piper auritum is an aromatic culinary herb in the pepper family Piperaceae, which grows in tropical Central America. Common names include , ,^[1] ,^[1] Mexican pepperleaf, acuyo, tlanepa, anisillo, root beer plant, Vera Cruz pepper and sacred pepper.

Description

It is a perennial herbaceous plant with heart-shaped velvety leaves.The leaves can reach up to 30cm (10inches) or more in size. The complex flavor is not so easily described; it has been compared to eucalyptus,^{[2] [3]} licorice,^{[4] [5]} sassafras,^{[1] [6]} anise,^[7] nutmeg, mint,^{[8] [9]} tarragon,^[2] and black pepper.^[10] 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 California and southeast Florida.

Use

It is often used in Mexican cuisine in tamales, fish or meat wrapped in its fragrant leaves for cooking, and as an essential ingredient in mole verde, a green sauce originally from the Oaxaca region of Mexico.^[1] It is also used to flavor eggs and soups like pozole.^[11] In Central Mexico, it is used to flavor chocolate drinks.^[10] In southeastern Mexico, a green liquor called verdín is made from hoja santa.^[12]

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.^[13]

Chemistry / constituents

The leaf oil of Piper auritum contains a relatively high concentration of hepatotoxic safrole, around 70%. A few of the other 40 constituents occurring in minor quantities were α-thujene, α-pinene, camphene, β-pinene, myrcene, and limonene.^[14]

External links

• Piper auritum leaf

Notes and References

1. Book: Miller, Mark Charles . Coyote's Pantry: Southwest Seasonings and at Home Flavoring Techniques . Ten Speed Press . 1993 . 0-89815-494-4 . 70 .
2. News: Ingredient - Hoja Santa . 2004-08-18 . 2007-03-29 . .
3. Book: Pyles, Stephan . New Tastes from Texas . Three Rivers Press . 0-609-80497-9 . 1999 . 214 .
4. Book: Rolland, Jacques L. . The Food Encyclopedia: Over 8,000 Ingredients, Tools, Techniques and People . Robert Rose . 2006 . 0-7788-0150-0 . 326.
5. Book: Raichlen, Steven . Steven Raichlen's Healthy Latin Cooking: 200 Sizzling Recipes from Mexico, Cuba, Caribbean, Brazil, and Beyond . Steven Raichlen . Rodale Books . 2000 . 0-87596-498-2 . 26 .
6. Book: Lambert, Paula . The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide: Over 150 Recipes with Instructions on How to Buy, Store, and Serve All Your Favorite Cheeses . registration . Paula Lambert . . 0-684-86318-9 . 2000 . 43.
7. Book: Davidson, Alan . . . 1999 . 0-19-211579-0 . 383 . Alan Davidson (food writer) .
8. Web site: Craft, not Kraft, is the key to these homeland treats . Adrian J.S. . Hale . 2007-03-29 . Orlando Weekly . 2006-09-28 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061114055121/http://www.orlandoweekly.com/util/printready.asp?id=11021 . 2006-11-14 .
9. Book: Nordin, Donna . Contemporary Southwest: The Cafe Terra Cotta Cookbook . Ten Speed Press . 1-58008-180-0 . 2001 . 19.
10. Web site: Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages - Mexican Pepperleaf (Piper auritum Kunth) . Gernot . Katzer. 2012 . 2012-12-03.
11. Book: Creasy, Rosalind . The Edible Mexican Garden . Tuttle Publishing . 2000. 962-593-297-6 . 35.
12. Web site: El Restaurante Mexicano (May/June 2006): Beyond margaritas . 2006 . Maiden Name Press LLC . Lori . Conner . 2007-04-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070420024249/http://www.restmex.com/recipes/0603.shtml . 2007-04-20 . dead .
13. Book: Bladholm, Linda . Latin & Caribbean Grocery Stores Demystified . Renaissance Books . 1-58063-212-2 . 2001 . 106 .
14. Gupta . Mahabir P. . Arias . Tomás D. . Williams . Norris H. . Bos . R. . Tattje . D. H. E. . Safrole, the Main Component of the Essential Oil from Piper auritum of Panama . Journal of Natural Products . March 1985 . 48 . 2 . 330–330 . 10.1021/np50038a026.