A Wild Mexican Herb: Yerba de Venado

A Wild Mexican Herb: Yerba de Venado

by Victoria Challancin

Yerba (sometimes Hierba) de Venado

Casual conversations can and do lead to remarkable discoveries, such as my first introduction to the elusive wild herb called Yerba (sometimes Hierba) de Venado, or Deer’s Herb. One day some years ago here in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where I live, I was having a conversation about plants with my favorite parking-lot attendant. All of a sudden his eyes lit up, he told me to wait, and he disappeared across the street and into the campo. After about five minutes he returned with a tiny plant with bluish-purple, cone-shaped flowers which emanated the most amazing scent, reminiscent of a Spring rain, fresh and truly indescribable. “Yerba de Venado,” Alberto pronounced proudly. And thus began my fascination with this lovely, yet somewhat hard-to-find herb.

Information about the plant is almost as elusive as the plant itself. In trying to research this plant, I discovered contradictory information. In English, the term deerweed (Lotus scoparius) refers to a different plant, a small desert shrub with yellow or white flowers. Another reference was to Damiana (Turnera diffusa), which is sometimes called Yerba de Venado in Spanish. But when I turned to my favorite herbolaria in Spanish, Las Plantas Medicinales de Mexico by Maximino Martinez, I found not only a drawing, but a wee bit of information as well on just the plant I sought.

Martinez says that (and other species) is the Latin for Yerba de Venado. He further states that the cooked leaves are used against indigestion and colic. In some parts of Mexico it is taken for malaria. In the state of Hidalgo it is called pápalo quelite (not to be confused with Pápalo, also called Papaloquelite (Porophyllum ruderale or macrocephalum) and is enjoyed as a condiment.

For me though, the best repository for information about plants and how to find and use them is the people themselves. Mexicans in general are very connected to the flora that surrounds them and are generous with their knowledge as well. While not scientific, the information is invariably fascinating and useful. When I asked about this particular plant, I found only one reference to a medicinal use: an infusion for indigestion. As for culinary uses, I found that locals use it cooked with beans and chopped raw and added to fresh tomato salsa (pico de gallo) or guacamole.

Over time, I have learned how to find this tiny plant. After the rains, when the wildflowers are profuse in the campo, I can always discover it first through my dogs. One of them will accidentally crush it underfoot, release its unusual scent, and I then know that it has reappeared after a dormant season. It tends to grow amid other wild flowers and plants, such as daisies and arugula, but because of its size, can be hard to locate. I do it through smell.

If you are lucky enough to have this refreshing herb growing near you, try tossing a tablespoon of chopped leaves into your next raw salsa or guacamole. Spring rain, Mexico, elusive mystery. Very satisfying indeed.

I am sending this blog as an entry for Weekend Herb Blog, begun by Kalyn Denny of Kalyn's Kitchen and hosted this week by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once. Many thanks to them for their efforts.

Horchata: A Refreshing Mexican Drink

Horchata: A Refreshing Mexican Drink

by Victoria Challancin
Horchata de Avena, a refreshing drink made with rolled oats

Throughout history all over the world, man has made drinks from nuts, seeds, and grains. Whereas milk products spoil easily, these refreshing drinks do not. And they are both nutritious and a boon to those who are lactose-intolerant. Almonds, barley, melon and sesame seeds, and rice are just a few of the most popular foods used as the basis for drinks sweetened with honey, and later sugar. Sometimes spices are added, sometimes not.

Almond milk, for example, was very popular in cooking during the Middle Ages in Europe and is frequently listed as an ingredient in a variety of recipes in cookbooks from that period. Suitable for consumption during Lent, it also was used as a milk substitute as highly perishable milk itself was frequently made into cheese or butter. Almond milk was, and still is, a very popular drink throughout the Islamic world as well.

In Spain and Latin America, horchata (from the Latin word hordeum, which means "barley"), is the common name given to a variety of vegetable-based drinks. In Spain itself and particularly in Valencia, a tuber called chufa, or tiger nut (Cyperaceae cyperus esculentus), is the basis of the most popular horchata. This plant, which originated in the Nile Delta, was probably brought to Spain by those early prolific traders, the Phoenicians, and certainly centuries later by the Moors.

The Spanish, in turn, transported their beloved orxata, later horchata, to the New World, where it flourished as a refreshing, nutritious, and economical drink. Chufa nuts weren’t available, but other plant parts were. The Aztecs made horchata from melon and squash seeds; in fact, in the blog entry I wrote on Aguas Frescas, I gave a recipe for a cantaloupe-seed agua fresca that could easily qualify by definition as an horchata. Corn and peanuts find their way into various horchatas as well. Specific horchatas are popular in various countries: in Puerto Rico, sesame seeds are often used; in Nicaragua the indigenous jicaro seeds (Crescentia alata) form the basis for the most popular horchata; in El Salvador the seeds from the fruit of the Calabash tree are used (Crescentia cujete); and in Mexico rice horchata with or without blanched, ground almonds is sold from large glass jars in almost every market. Today, unfortunately, packets of chemical-laden mixes are popular and readily available to make horchata in Mexico; however, the natural drink itself could not be simpler to prepare:

Rice Horchata
Horchata de Arroz

1 1/2 cups rice
2 quarts water
A 4-inch Mexican cinnamon stick, broken
Sugar or other natural sweetener, to taste

Soak the rice and cinnamon stick in water overnight, puree in a blender, strain, and sweeten to taste. Serve over ice or well-chilled.

Note: Some recipes call for cooking the rice, but the way I learned to make this from Mexican friends seems to yield a richer, more full-flavored drink. Blanched almonds can also be soaked with the rice. Some people also add a touch of vanilla extract or almond extract as well.

Another form of horchata that a Mexican friend prepared for me was made from oats. She assures me this is a very common horchata in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The soaking time, if using rolled oats, is much less than for rice.

Eva’s Oatmeal Horchata
Horchata de Avena

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 quarts water
1 4-inch Mexican cinnamon stick, broken
Sugar or other natural sweetener, to taste.

Soak the oats and cinnamon in water for a minimum of half an hour. Blend, strain, and sweeten to taste. Serve over ice or well-chilled.

Note: I add more oatmeal if making this for my son as he prefers a really creamy horchata. This is a flexible recipe—make it to your taste.

Simple, refreshing, cheap, and relatively nutritious. What could be easier?