Papalo ✦

Papalo

What it is

The Nahuatl name papaloquilitl means butterfly herb, for leaves shaped like open wings, and the plant is a daisy relative with no botanical link to coriander whatsoever. A Puebla cemita is built with three or four raw leaves and nothing else green; the herb is never cooked, and no dried version exists because drying leaves nothing behind.

In the kitchen

Use about a third of the quantity of coriander you would otherwise reach for, torn at the last moment — papalo overwhelms a plate faster than any other soft herb. Stand the stems in a glass of water on the counter rather than in the fridge; cold blackens the leaves in two days.

Goes with

Avocado Chipotle Black bean Tomato Red onion Lime Pork

In season alongside

Cilantro / Coriander Epazote Bagnoli truffle Chinotto Garlic chives Génépi

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