Dr Abe V RotorHere is one for the book of Guinness. What is more bitter than ampalaya, Momordica charantia?
Answer: It is an unassuming slender, spreading, smooth, seasonal herb, Mollogo oppoisitifolia, a relative of a number of wild food plants belonging to Family Aizoaceae, locally known as papait (Ilk), malagoso or sarsalisda (Tagalog), amargoso-damulag (Pampango ).
Anyone who has tasted this green salad that goes well with bagoong and calamansi or vinegar, plus a lot of rice to counteract its bitter taste, would agree that papait is probably the bitterest of all vegetables. Ampalaya comes at its heels when you gauge the facial expressions of those who are eating them.
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Papait belongs to the same family – Aizoaceae, which includes dampalit, talinum, gulasiman, spinach, and alugbati - all wild food plants.
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As a farm boy I first saw papait growing on dry riverbeds, the catchment of floodwater during monsoon. There along the length of a river that runs under an old wooden bridge (now a flood gate made of culvert) which divide the towns of San Vicente and Sta.Catalina, three kilometers from the capital town of Vigan, grew patches of Mollogo. It is difficult to identify it among the weeds - and being a weed itself, none would bother to gather it. Wild food plants do not have a place in the kitchen - and much less in the market - when there is a lot of conventional food around. I soon forgot the plant after I lelt my hometown for my college education in Manila. In fact it was not in the list of plants Dr. Fernando de Peralta, a prominent botanist, required us in class to study. That was in the sixties.
It was by chance that I saw the plant again, this time in the market at Lagro QC where I presently reside. Curiosity and reminiscence prompted me to buy a bundle of the leafy vegetable. It cost five pesos. What came to my mind is the idea of cultivating wild food plants on a commercial scale. The potential uses of dozens of plants that are not normally cultivated could be a good business. They augment vegetables that are not in season, as well as provide a ready and affordable source of vitamins and minerals.
Perhaps the first wild food plant placed under commercial cultivation is saluyot (Corchorus olitorius ). The technology lies in breaking the dormancy of its seeds, which under natural condition, will not germinate until after the first strong rain. Today saluyot can be grown anytime of the year and is no longer confined among the Ilocanos. It is exported to Japan in substantial volume. Doctors have found saluyot an excellent and safer substitute to Senecal for slimming and cleansing.
Some Common Wild Food Plants
Saluyot (Corchorus olitorius); bagbagkong flowers
In my research I found out that a number of popular wild edible species are related to Mollogo. They all belong to Family Aizoaceae. In one way or the other, the readers of this article may find the following plants familiar, either because they are indigenous in their locality, or they are found being sold in the market.
Dampalit (Sesuvium portulacastrum). It is found growing along the beach, around fishpond and in estuarine areas. It is prepared as salad or made into pickles.
New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia expansa). It is known as Baguio spinach. It is sold as salad vegetable. The leaves are fleshly and soft, typical to other members of the family.
Halon or kolites (Amaranthus tricolor). The leaves are dull and purplish. In some varieties the top leaves are pale yellow to bright red. The plant is used as a leafy vegetable. It is a good source of calcium, phosphorus and iron. This herbaceous annual plant is pantropic in distribution and grows on wastelands.
Phytolacca (Phytolacca esculenta) is cultivated in China and Japan for its edible leaves used as leafy vegetables. The leaves are excellent sources of iron and phosphorus, and a good source of calcium.
Gulasiman (Portolaca oleracea). It is also known as purslane, a common weed cosmopolitan in distribution, rich in iron, calcium and high in roughage. Cooked as vegetable or served as salad.
Talinum and gulasiman
Talinum (Talinum triangulare). It is a fleshy herb that grows not more than a foot tall. It is excellent for beef stew and sinigang. It was introduced into the Philippines before WW II.
Libato (Basella rubra). It is also called alugbati, a climbing leafy vegetable that is much used in stews. It makes a good substitute to spinach. The young leaves and shoots are gathered, and when cooked the consistency is somewhat mucilaginous. It is a good source of vitamins B and C, calcium and iron.
Lotus (Nelumbium nelumbo). The unripe seeds are eaten raw, boiled, or roasted, while the ripe seeds are boiled and roasted. There is a variety with greatly enlarged rhizomes and have a high starch content. They are eaten raw or cooked. Young petiole and leaves are also used as vegetables.
Pako’ (Athyrium esculentum). The young fronds are eaten either raw or cooked. They may be used as a salad with various dressings, as a leafy vegetable, or as an ingredient of stew. It is a fair source of calcium, and an excellent source of phosphorus and iron. Another edible fern is Ceratopteris thalictroides which is also eaten the same way as A. esculentum. It can be a substitute for asparagus.
Sabilau (Commelina benghalensis) – The leaves are edible, and are a famine food in India. They are also eaten in Batavia, and have been seen on sale in Chinese shops in Singapore. The plant is succulent, slender and creeping and is common in wastelands in the country.
Food Value of Papait
As my family was about to partake in the salad of papait I made, I researched for its food value in the book of my former professor, Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing, Medicinal Plants of the Philippines, and William H. Brown’s Useful Plants of the Philippines. As fresh vegetable, it contains
· 0.11% Phosphorus,
· 0.11% Calcium, and
· 0.03% Iron.
It is good for the skin, and it helps us “glow” because of it contains vitamins and minerals. It is also good for those who have problems with high cholesterol and diabetes. The general rule is, whatever we take let’s take it with moderation.
The signal for annuals to start sprouting is after a heavy rain. Because this year’s summer is short, it is expected to find the vegetable from Ilocano suki in the wet market very soon. Since it is sold as whole with some roots still intact, it can be planted on the backyard. If the plant is mature, its seeds can be gathered and broadcast on the backyard. The seeds will remain dormant like those of saluyot and spinach, but will sprout in the next monsoon season. It reminds me many years ago when I used to gather this wild food plant growing at the foot of wooden bridge.
In spite of its bitter taste we relish it as special vegetable. It reminds us of medicine. It reminds us also of the sacrifice at Golgotha. Take a bite of Mollogo. ~
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