Herb
Jesuit's Tea
B tier
Jesuit’s tea is a historical European name for infusions of epazote/wormseed, reflecting colonial-era medicinal tea use rather than Mexican bean cookery. The dried herb for tea is not the same product experience as fresh Mexican market epazote. Culinary revivalists may meet the name in old texts. For cooking beans, insist on fresh epazote. Do not assume tea-grade dried wormseed will deliver authentic frijoles flavour.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
Historical InfusionPrefer Fresh for Cooking
Traits
Dried Infusion ContextHerbalHistoricalHistorical Tea NameMedicinal LegacyNot Ideal Bean FormPungentTea Legacy
History
Jesuit networks circulated medicinal knowledge of the herb as Jesuit’s tea.
European apothecaries sold Jesuit’s tea preparations.
The tea name faded as medical practice modernised.
Food historians noted Jesuit’s tea when tracing epazote’s global names.