Herb
Dysphania ambrosioides
S tier
Dysphania ambrosioides is the current botanical name for epazote—a pungent, resinous herb with petrol-mint-camphor notes essential to Mexican bean pots and quesadillas. A little transforms black beans; a lot tastes medicinal. Formerly Chenopodium ambrosioides; same plant in the pot. Use fresh sprigs in simmering beans and remove woody stems before serving. Wild and weedy in warm Americas; easy to grow, hard to mistake once smelled.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
Bean PotFresh SprigQuesadillaSoup
Traits
AssertiveBean HerbCurrent Species NameHerbalPotentPungentResinousResinous Pungent
History
MX
Mesoamerican cookery used epazote with beans long before botanical renaming.
Botanists filed the plant under Chenopodium.
Reclassification into Dysphania updated scientific labels.
Mexican restaurants worldwide still just called for epazote.