RECIPES
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
Epazote has both a strong aroma and taste so not everyone is immediately in love with it. However, it’s very traditional in Mexican cooking and can admittedly be a bit of an acquired taste.
For centuries, epazote has been grown for both medicinal as well as cooking purposes. It’s often used in Oaxaca and throughout the Yucatan by the Mayan descendants.
With a rather strong flavor profile, some people say that it tastes “medicinal.” Those with a more refined palette say that it has notes of citrus, mint, anise, oregano and even (gulp) creosote or tar.
Frijoles de la Olla is the one dish that is most often where epazote is used as a seasoning. It is not unusual to find a wee bit of this herb inside corn truffle quesadillas or esquites con tuetano.
South of the U.S. it’s nearly always purchased fresh in Central American and Mexican mercados. But if you can’t seem to find it locally, you can easily grow your own. You can easily order the seeds online (Affiliate).
Epazote is best when it’s alive, so store it as if you were trying to preserve fresh cut flowers – stems in a glass filled with water. Add a Mexican touch to your dishes with this unique plant.