Seasoning Herbs

bundle of dried herbs bought in mercado Dried sprigs of several kinds of herb
These are often sold in mercados, tied together like a little nosegay. As shown at the right a bundle may be tied together with a blade of zacate de lemon, or lemon grass, and include springs of laurel (bay leaves), mejorana (sweet marjoram), and tomillo (thyme), all native to Europe, but now essential ingredients for good Mexican cooking.

Albahaca
This is basil, Ocimum basilicum of the mint family. According to Mexicans, comes in two sorts. The macho, or male, type is purple and stronger smelling than the hiembra, or female, type.

sprig of cilantro

Cilantro
Nowadays most North Americans refer to the plant shown at the left by its Spanish name, cilantro, but Europeans often call it coriander. By whatever name, it's surely the best-loved herb of Mexican cuisine, finding its way into most stews and salads. This is another of those herbs originally from southern Europe but now thoroughly Mexicanized. This herb, Coriandrum sativum of the parsley family, grows three feet high or so, though many perfectionists insist that the most tasty cilantro is provided by young plants not over a foot high.

Epazote
We call it Mexican tea, though I've never heard of anyone making tea of it -- except for medicinal purposes. It's one of the best-loved seasonings for bean soup and many kinds of Mexican stews. It's a strong-smelling herb growing as a weed in my Mississippi garden, Chenopodium ambrosioides, of the goosefoot family. This is not only an excellent seasoning but also it can be used medicinally against intestinal worms.

Hoja santa
We don't have an English name for this leaf (the words translate literally to "blessed leaf"). Nonetheless it's a wonderfully minty-odored leaf of the small, native Mexican tree Piper auritum of the black-pepper family. Hoja santa leaves are often wrapped around tamales to impart an anise-like flavor. As opposed to red peppers, this plant is indeed closely related to the black pepper of salt-and-pepper fame.

Perejil
This is parsley, and in Mexican mercados you typically see a different variety than what is sold in most North American supermarkets. The Mexican variety is thinner-leafed, less crispy-margined, less dark-green than ours. It is Petroselinum crispum, of the parsley family, originating in northern and central Europe, and it just may be tastier than our northern-supermarket kind, though it not as pretty.