What the Word Means
Quelite comes from the Nahuatl word quilitl, which referred broadly to edible leafy plants. In modern Mexican Spanish it usually means a tender wild or semi-wild green that grows on its own, often in cultivated fields, along paths or at the edge of crops. Many of these plants would be called weeds by a farmer who is not interested in eating them. In Mexico they are often welcomed, left to grow among the crops, and gathered as food.
There is no single list of quelites. Estimates of how many species are eaten across the country are large, and the specific plants vary by region, altitude and season. That variety is the main point: the word names a category rather than one vegetable.
Quelites and the Milpa
Quelites grow naturally within the traditional corn field, which is why they are so closely tied to the milpa system. Where corn, beans and squash are planted together, other plants appear between the rows once the rains arrive. Rather than pulling all of them out, farmers have long allowed useful ones to grow and gathered them for the household. In this view the field supplies several foods at once, and weeding doubles as harvesting.
This also means quelites follow the agricultural calendar. Many appear early in the rainy season, when other fresh vegetables may still be scarce, and some are eaten only for a few weeks of the year.
Some Commonly Eaten Examples
Names differ widely, and the same word can mean different plants in different regions, so treat the list below as a sample, not a guide for identification.
- Quintonil (quintoniles): a type of amaranth, with soft, mild leaves, widely eaten in central Mexico. The seeds of amaranth are used separately to make a sweet confection.
- Verdolaga (purslane): a succulent with thick, slightly tangy and mucilaginous leaves, often cooked in green salsa with pork.
- Huauzontle: a plant whose green flowering tops are boiled, then dipped in egg batter and fried, often stuffed with cheese.
- Romeritos: a feathery, rosemary-like plant eaten in a mole-style dish at the end of the year, as part of Mexican Christmas food.
- Chepil: leaves from a legume plant, often used in tamales and rice in southern Mexico.
- Pápalo: a strong, citrusy herb eaten raw, typically placed on top of tacos and tortas.
- Chaya: a leafy shrub eaten in the Yucatan region, which requires thorough cooking because the raw leaves are not safe to eat.
Some of the herbs above are better described as seasonings than vegetables. Epazote is also sometimes counted among quelites in the broad sense, and the epazote herb has its own article.
How They Are Cooked
Cooking is usually uncomplicated, which suits the tender leaves. Common approaches include:
- Quick saute. Leaves are cooked in a hot pan with onion, garlic and chile until wilted, then salted. They are served as a side or tucked into tacos.
- Simmered in sauce. Sturdier greens such as verdolagas are cooked in a green sauce with tomatillos, a variation on a tomatillo salsa. They are served as a stew with pork or beans.
- In beans or soup. A handful added to a pot of beans or a broth at the end of cooking.
- Battered or stuffed. Huauzontle is the best-known example, though other greens are also fried.
- In fillings. Wilted greens fill quesadillas, tamales and empanadas.
A squeeze of lime and a spoonful of salsa at the table are typical.
Safety When Gathering and Cooking
Foraging requires real knowledge. Some wild plants are toxic, and others have toxic look-alikes, so nobody should eat a wild plant they cannot identify with certainty. Learning from experienced local gatherers or reliable regional guides is the safest route, and buying from a vendor who knows the plants is a simpler one, and a stall of market produce is the easiest place to start. Greens from fields can carry soil and may have been exposed to agricultural chemicals, so wash them thoroughly in several changes of water.
Some quelites contain oxalic acid or similar compounds, which are reduced by cooking. People with kidney stones or specific dietary restrictions are sometimes advised to limit high-oxalate greens, and anyone concerned should ask a health professional. Plants such as chaya must be cooked properly.
A Shrinking and Reviving Tradition
Quelites are often described as a food of the countryside, and their use has declined in some places as diets and farming methods change, especially where herbicides clear fields of everything but the main crop. At the same time, chefs, cooks and researchers in Mexico have shown renewed interest in them, and they appear in markets and restaurants with growing frequency. Which of these trends matters most differs from place to place.
They are also a reminder that many Mexican meals owe a lot to plants that were never planted on purpose. Next time you see an unfamiliar bundle of green leaves at a market stall, it is worth asking what it is and how the seller likes to cook it.