Nearly one thousand species of plants with edible leaves are known. Leaf vegetables most often come from short-lived herbaceous plants such as lettuce and spinach. Woody plants whose leaves can be eaten as leaf vegetables include Adansonia, Aralia, Moringa, Morus, and Toona species.

The leaves of many fodder crops are also edible by humans, but usually only eaten under famine conditions. Examples include alfalfa, clover, and most grasses, including wheat and barley. These plants are often much more prolific than more traditional leaf vegetables, but exploitation of their rich nutrition is difficult, primarily because of their high fiber content. This obstacle can be overcome by further processing such as drying and grinding into powder or pulping and pressing for juice.

Leaf vegetables are typically low in calories, low in fat, high in protein per calorie, high in dietary fiber, high in iron and calcium, and very high in phytochemicals such as vitamin C, carotenoids, lutein and folic acid as well as Vitamin K.

Most leaf vegetables can be eaten raw, for example in sandwiches or salads. Leafy greens can be used to wrap other ingredients like a tortilla. They may also be stir-fried, stewed or steamed.

You can find authentic Hispanic Leaf Vegetables on many Hispanic Restaurants in Los Angeles.

The common Spanish name, epazote (sometimes spelled and pronounced ipasote or ypasote), is derived from Nahuatl: epazōtl

Epazote is used as a leaf vegetable and herb for its pungent flavor. Raw, it has a resinous, medicinal pungency, similar to anise, fennel, or even tarragon, but stronger. Epazote’s fragrance is strong, but difficult to describe. It has been compared to citrus, petroleum, savory, mint and camphor.

Although it is traditionally used with black beans for flavor and its carminative properties, it is also sometimes used to flavor other traditional Mexican dishes as well: it can be used to season quesadillas and sopes (especially those containing huitlacoche), soups, mole de olla, tamales with cheese and chile, chilaquiles, eggs and potatoes and enchiladas.

Epazote is used as a leaf vegetable and herb for its pungent flavor and its claimed ability to prevent flatulence caused by eating beans but also in the treatment of amenorrhea,[2] dysmenorrhea, malaria, chorea, hysteria, catarrh, and asthma.

You can find authentic Hispanic Epazote on many Hispanic Restaurants in Los Angeles.

The black turtle bean has a dense, meaty texture and flavor reminiscent of mushrooms, which makes it popular in vegetarian dishes such as the Mexican-American black bean burrito. It is a very popular bean in various regions of Brazil, and is used in the national dish, feijoada. It is also a principal ingredient of Platillo Moros y Cristianos in Cuba, is a must-have in the typical gallo pinto of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, is a fundamental part of Pabellón Criollo in Venezuela, and is served in almost all of Latin America as well as many Hispanic enclaves in the United States. The black turtle bean is also very popular for making into soups, which are often eaten with Cuban crackers.

Black turtle beans have recently been reported to be an extremely good source of nutritional antioxidants.

You can find authentic Hispanic Black Beans on many Hispanic Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Frijoles negros is typically seasoned with salt, ham hocks, onions and garlic, tomatoes, powdered cumin seeds, oregano, chili peppers, vinegar, and sometimes other ingredients.

Frijoles Negros (black beans) are an integral part of Mexican Cuisine, accompanying a wide variety of main dishes. The secret to great beans lies in adding Epazote. Epazote is also known as Mexican tea and wormseed, and many say that it’s an acquired taste.

Black beans are high in folate (256 mcg), iron (3.61 mg), magnesium (120 mg), and phosphorus (241 mg); they are also a source of zinc (1.92 mg), niacin (2 mg), and thiamine (.42mg) – based on 1 cup portion size.

You can find authentic Hispanic Frijoles Negros on many Hispanic Restaurants in Los Angeles.

The word fideo is of Mozarabic and Arabic origins from Muslim-dominated areas of the Iberian Peninsula.

It is commonly used in soups. There are a wide variety of recipes, but the basic recipe calls for lightly browning the fideo in oil, then adding a base of chicken or beef broth, with pureed tomato, chile peppers, garlic, and onion. Cilantro, beef, chicken, corn, or other ingredients may also be included. The mixture is then boiled until the fideo and other ingredients are cooked. When served it can be garnished with lime or lemon juice, chile or hot sauce, sour cream, and/or white Mexican cheese.

This dish can be eaten with corn tortillas or with some kind of crackers. There many different types of ways of cooking fideo. Any seasonings can be added to this dish such as green onions, cilantro and garlic. Tomato bouillon can also be added to this dish to give the water a zing flavor to it.

You can find authentic Hispanic Fideo on many Hispanic Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Some people prefer esquite, or elote cut off the cob. The above toppings are added to the corn and eaten with a spoon.

In the urban zones of Mexico the eloteros are people who specifically dedicate themselves to selling elotes and transporting them in a covered handcart. Some eloteros move from place to place, while others stay in one spot. The customers can choose elotes and toppings according to their preference. The eloteros roast the elotes, in their husks, over coals, and splash salt water on them until the husk begin to scorch.

You can find authentic Hispanic Elote on many Hispanic Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Curtido is basically a relish and depending on the country, it can be very different. Honduran curtido is very similar to Mexican Curtido and can be served with virtually every dish.

Curtido can be served basically with any meat or main dish. It is the perfect touch to every dish. Curtido is spicy for some people so it is optional to add extra chili peppers, taste it first, you may want to add less chili peppers if you find you can’t tolerate heat.

You can find authentic Hispanic Curtido on many Hispanic Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Barbacoa de cabeza is a specialty of slow cooked cow head that arose in the ranching lands of northern Mexico after the Spanish conquest. Except for cochinita pibil, one of the common characteristics of Mexican barbacoa is that marinades are not used and sauces are not applied until the meat is fully cooked. Pork cooked in this manner is generally referred to as carnitas rather than barbacoa.

Throughout Mexico, from pre-Mexican times to the present, barbacoa (the name derives from the Caribbean indigenous Taino barabicu) was the original Mexican barbecue, utilizing the many and varied moles (pronounced “mol-ehs”, from Nahuatl molli) and salsa de molcajete, which were the first barbecue sauces.

A traditional Mexican way of eating barbacoa is having it served on a warm soft taco style corn tortilla with guacamole and salsa for added flavor, the meat or the tacos are often served in the banana leaves they were cooked in. It is also eaten with onions, diced cilantro and a squirt of lime.

You can find authentic Hispanic Barbacoa on many Hispanic Restaurants in Los Angeles.

A consommé is made by adding a mixture of ground meats, or mousseline, together with mirepoix, tomatoes, and egg whites into either bouillon or stock. The key to making a high quality consommé is simmering; the act of simmering, combined with frequent stirring, brings impurities to the surface of the liquid, which are further drawn out due to the presence of acid from the tomatoes.

Consommés are usually served piping hot because they tend to cool down more quickly than other soups and form a gel . They are most often served with garnishes which vary in complexity from a simple splash of sherry or egg yolk, to cut vegetables, to shaped savory custards called ‘royales’. Consommés are ideal for whetting the appetite of the diner, especially in the traditional seven-course meal format, as they are very rich and tasty in flavour, but are neither filling nor heavy-feeling after consumption.

Consommés are both expensive and difficult to make, as a large amount of meat only yields a small amount of consommé; in some recipes, as much as a pound of meat can go into a single 8oz serving. Also, because of the complex clarification process, it is difficult to make, which can often fail the novice or impatient cook.

Despite, or perhaps because of, these limitations, consommé has maintained its place as one of the most highly regarded and appreciated soups in the world.

You can find authentic Hispanic Consomme on many Hispanic Restaurants in Los Angeles.

There are approximately 600 different shapes of pasta. Examples include spaghetti (thin rods), maccheroni (tubes or cylinders), fusilli (swirls), and lasagne (sheets). Two other noodles, gnocchi and spätzle, are sometimes considered pasta. They are both traditional in parts of Italy.

Pasta is categorized in two basic styles: dried and fresh. Dried pasta made without eggs can be stored for up to two years under ideal conditions, while fresh pasta will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator. In preparation for consumption, pasta is generally boiled.

Pasta is made from a simple combination of water, eggs and flour. Pre-packaged specialty pasta often includes spices, cheese or added coloring from spinach, tomatoes or food dye.

You can find authentic Hispanic Pasta on many Hispanic Restaurants in Los Angeles.