On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 785

subtle, with woody, fresh notes. Curry leaves
are added to stews or other simmered dishes,
or briefly sautéed to flavor a cooking oil.
They are also remarkable for containing
unusual
alkaloids
(carbazoles)
with
antioxidantandantiin-flammatoryproperties.
Curry Plant Curry plant is a Mediterranean
member of the lettuce family,Helichrysum
italicum,thathasbeensaidtobereminiscent
ofIndiancurries.Itdoescontainanumberof
terpenesthatgiveitavaguelyspicy,pleasant
aroma;it’susedtoflavoreggdishes,teas,and
sweets.
Epazote Epazote is a scented member of the
large“goosefoot”family,whichalsoprovides
us with spinach, beets, and the grain quinoa.
Chenopodiumambrosioidesisaweedynative
of temperate centralAmerica that has spread
throughout much of the world, and lends a
characteristicaromatoMexicanbeans,soups,
and stews. That aroma is variously described


as fatty, herbaceous, and penetrating, and is
duetoaterpenecalledascaridole.Ascaridole
is also responsible for the use of epazote in
folkmedicine;itistoxictointestinalworms.
Hoja Santa This herb’s name is Spanish for

“holyleaf,”andreferstothelargeleafofNew
World relatives of black pepper, Piper
auritum andP. sanctum. It’s used from
southern Mexico to northern South America
to wrap foods and flavor them while they’re
cooked,andisalsoaddeddirectlytodishesas
a flavoring. The main aromatic in hoja santa
is safrole, the characteristic note of sassafras
familiar from root beers, and a suspected
carcinogen.
Houttuynia Houttuynia is a small perennial
Asian plant,Houttuynia cordata, in the
primitivelizard’s-tailfamily(Saururaceae),a
relativeofblackpepper.Itsleavesareusedin
VietnameseandThaisalads,stews,andother
dishes.Therearetwomainvarieties,onewith