Tacos de quelites
Tacos de quelites are tacos filled with quelites, the tender edible greens, shoots and flowers gathered or grown in Mexico, such as quintonil, pápalo, huauzontle and verdolaga. Usually boiled or sautéed with onion, chile and garlic, they are a seasonal, inexpensive vegetarian taco with pre-Hispanic roots.
What quelites are
The word comes from the Nahuatl quilitl. The Larousse encyclopedic dictionary of Mexican gastronomy uses quelite as a generic term for the edible leaves and stems of many herbs and plants, extended today to tender greens, young plants, sprouts, tree shoots and some flowers. México Desconocido stresses that quelite is not a particular plant but a quality: any tender, edible leaf, flower or herb. Experts estimate that about 500 species count as quelites in the broad sense, a figure México Desconocido attributes to CONABIO, although only a few are common in city markets.
Among the main types Larousse lists quintonil, papaloquelite (pápalo), huauzontle and verdolaga, along with dozens of others such as chaya, chipil, hierba santa, malva and quelite cenizo. México Desconocido adds chepiles, epazote and romeritos, and notes that squash blossoms and watercress can also count as quelites when tender.
Seasons and history
Quelites are eaten most during the rainy season, when rural communities gather them, and Larousse notes a rise in consumption around Holy Week, when meat is avoided. Some quelites are cultivated, including romeritos, epazote and pápalo, but many are wild. México Desconocido says they have been eaten since pre-Hispanic times and that their consumption declined partly because of the prejudice that they are food for the poor.
Cooking and tacos
Larousse explains that quelites are eaten raw or cooked, often boiled in salted water or with tequesquite, which keeps their color bright, and that some, such as squash vine tips and huauzontles, are fried. They may be the main ingredient of a dish or a secondary one, as with verdolagas cooked with pork. Aromatic quelites such as pápalo and pipicha are eaten raw: Uno TV's account of regional tacos placeros includes pápalo in the Toluca and Puebla versions and pipicha in the Tlaxcala version. Sautéed quintoniles or verdolagas with onion, garlic and chile, spooned into a tortilla with crumbled cheese, make a straightforward and widespread taco.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g tender quelites, such as quintonil, verdolagas or a mix (or spinach plus a handful of purslane)
- 1 tablespoon oil or lard
- 1/2 white onion, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 to 2 serrano chiles, sliced
- 1 Roma tomato, chopped
- Salt
- 8 corn tortillas
- Queso fresco and salsa for serving
- A few sprigs pápalo (optional)
Steps
- Pick over the greens, discarding tough stems, and wash well.
- Blanch in boiling salted water for 1 to 2 minutes, drain, squeeze lightly and chop.
- Cook the onion, garlic and chile in the oil until soft; add the tomato and cook 3 minutes.
- Add the greens, season with salt and stir until heated through.
- Serve in warm tortillas with cheese, salsa and a few raw pápalo leaves if you have them.
Strong-flavored quelites like pápalo are best raw and in small amounts.
Reviews
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See also
References
- "Quelite". Larousse Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Quelites". México Desconocido. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Taco placero: cómo y cuándo surgió en México". Uno TV. Retrieved 2026-10-10.