I have wanted to try epazote for a while, mostly because every recipe developer worth their salt insists it belongs in a pot of beans, so I finally picked up a jar from Penzeys and put it to the test.
Where It Comes From
Epazote is a leafy herb native to Mexico and Central America, and it has been part of Mexican cooking for centuries, showing up in bean pots and moles long before anyone was writing recipes down. The name comes from Nahuatl, roughly translating to skunk sweat, which should tell you something about the smell before you even open the jar. It grows so easily that it is sometimes treated as a weed, which is a funny contrast to how prized it is once it hits the stove.
What It Tastes Like
The first sniff is a lot. It has a sharp edge to it, with notes of anise and licorice underneath. Its intensity mellows dramatically once it cooks into a dish. What is left behind is something earthy and savory, with a faint herbal sweetness.
Where It Pairs
Beans are epazote's whole reason for being. Traditional Mexican cooks have added it to black beans and pinto beans for generations, both for the earthy depth it brings and for its long reputation as a digestive aid. Beans contain sugars our bodies struggle to break down, which is the usual source of post-bean discomfort, and epazote has long been credited with easing that, likely tied to natural compounds in the plant. I added about a teaspoon of the dried leaf to a pot of heirloom black beans in the last stretch of cooking, and the broth came out rounder, with a savory backbone that plain beans do not have on their own. It did not overwhelm the pot at all, which surprised me given how sharp the herb smells straight out of the jar.
This is going into regular rotation for me, especially with darker heirloom varieties that can handle a stronger flavor alongside them. If you have been curious about epazote but hesitant because of the smell, do not judge it before it hits the pot.
