Epazote — identification and usage
Mesoamerica — one of the oldest cultivated herbs in Mexico; mentioned in Aztec medicinal texts
Epazote (Dysphania ambrosioides) is one of Mexico's defining culinary herbs — a pungent, aromatic annual with a distinctive smell sometimes described as petroleum, citrus, and mint simultaneously. It has no precise substitute. Used fresh in black beans (where it is traditional and believed to reduce flatulence), quesadillas, enfrijoladas, mole amarillo, and various salsas. Also used medicinally across Mesoamerica. Available fresh at Mexican markets, dried from Latin grocery stores, and grown easily from seed.