Root Beer Plant Hoja Santa Mexican Pepperleaf

It is native to the Americas, from northern South America to Mexico. It does well in part sun and shaded areas, but on the coast can handle more direct sun. It is very hardy. It is related to the tropical and important food crop “Kava.” Warning – We do not advise ingesting or using medicinally any plant we identify. It is often used in Mexican cuisine for tamales, the fish or meat wrapped in fragrant leaves for cooking, and as an essential ingredient in mole verde, the green sauce originated in the Oaxaca region of Mexico. It is also chopped to flavor soups, such as pozole, and eggs. In Central Mexico, it is used to flavor chocolate drinks. In southeastern Mexico, a green liquor called Verdín is made from hoja santa. It is also used for tea. American cheesemaker Paula Lambert created “Hoja santa cheese”, goat cheese wrapped with the hoja santa leaves and impregnated with its flavor. While typically used fresh, it is also used in dried form, although drying removes much of the flavor and makes the leaf too brittle to be used as a wrapper.