Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Herb guide to Mexican Pepperleaf along with all the Mexican Pepperleaf containing recipes presented on this site, with 1 recipes in total.

e This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Mexican Pepperleaf as a major herb flavouring.

Mexican Pepperleaf, Piper auritum (also known as Piper sanctum, hoja santa, Sacred pepper, Root beer plant, yerba santa, hierba santa and Eared pepper) is a creeping vine of the Piperaceae (pepper) that's native to tropical Mesoamerica. The heart-shaped leaves (which can reach 30cm in diamter) are commonly used as an Herb in Mexico. The leaves have a scent that's variously described as being akin to anise, nutmeg and black pepper and the flavour is strongest in the young leaves which also have a mild peppery pungency. The Spanish name hoja santa (sacred leaf) refers to a Mexican legend which says that the Virgin Mary dried the nappies of the infant Jesus on a bush of this plant.

The plant is used to a great extent in the cuisines of tropical Mexico, however it is virtually impossible to source outside its area of origin. The leaves themselves are used to wrap fish and chicken before baking and are an essential ingredient in mole verde. They are also commonly used to flavour chocolate drinks. If you wish to make this herb-based paste or to try any of the other Mexican dishes using Mexican Pepperleaf then you will need to find an acceptable substitute. Mexican tarragon works well (but only where the pepperleaf is used as an herb and not a wrap), though avocado leaves seem to be the usually-suggested alternatives (but you will have to use Mexican aromatic avocado leaves Persea drimyfolia and not any of the other species of Persea.

One point to note is that the Mexican Pepperleaf is very rich in safrole (a chemical also found in Sassafras leaves) and research has shown this chemical to be carcinogenic in animals thus there remains a question about the safety of flavouring foods with Mexican Pepperleaf; though it must be noted that it does not seem that humans metabolize safrole into its carcinogenic metabolite.