Mexican leaf pepper

Mexican leaf pepper
	Mexican leaf pepper ( Piper auritum )
Systematics
	Magnoliids
Order :	Peppery (Piperales)
Family :	Pepper family (Piperaceae)
Subfamily :	Piperoideae
Genre :	Pepper ( piper )
Type :	Mexican leaf pepper
Scientific name
	Piper auritum
	Kunth

The Mexican leaf pepper ( Piper auritum ), also Makulan ( Maya language) or ear pepper , is a plant from the pepper family (Piperaceae) with large, fragrant leaves .

description

The Mexican leaf pepper is a shrub or tree up to five meters high with approx. 30 cm large, heart-shaped leaves that are slightly hairy on the underside and often deposit small droplets of resin. The tiny creamy white flowers are densely packed in 20 cm long, upward spikes. The plant reproduces mainly by cuttings .

Occurrence

The plant is native to tropical Central America . It is native to southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. She is a neophyte in Cuba and maybe Jamaica as well.

Flavor and ingredients

The fresh peppers exude a spicy aniseed aroma , which is due to the phenylpropanoid safrole . The toxicity of safrole makes the use of this exotic spice dangerous to health.

use

The pepper leaves are an old Mesoamerican medicinal and aromatic herb . They were also used in the form of incense for Aztec rites , from which the current Mexican name hoja santa (holy leaf) is derived.

In Mexican folk medicine , the leaves are used externally to treat wounds, internally as a remedy for fever and diarrhea.

In Mexican cuisine , especially in southern Mexico, pieces of meat or filled corn dumplings ( tamales ) are often wrapped in the leaves and braised or steamed. The leaves give off their aroma to the food. In Oaxaca , sauces are also made from pureed pepper leaves ( mole verde ).

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b Piper in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved June 3, 2018.

Web links

Commons : Piper auritum - collection of images, videos and audio files

Gernot Katzer's spice pages
Piper auritum in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.

[GRIN-1] A ^b Piper in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved June 3, 2018.