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Thank you so much for your interest in donating to our advocacy! Your donation will be used for food heritage research, field work expenses, website hosting and maintenance, and the like so that I can continue sharing our different local food cultures and ingredients.
Some of the edible weeds of the Philippines.
by Sherwin | Mar 3, 2023
Pansit-pansitan
Pansit-pansitan (Peperomia pellucida) is a fleshy herb that thrives in damp and shady areas. It can grow in home gardens, and even in pots.
The herb is used in traditional medicine and was approved by the Department of Health as one of the 10 herbal medicines. The entire foliage of pansit-pansitan is edible. It has a refreshing mild peppery taste. It can be eaten raw, sauteed, or added to salad and soup dishes such as law-uy.
Papait
Papait (Glinus oppositifolious), also known as amargoso, sarsalida, or slender carpetweed, is a vegetable weed that is consumed in Ilocos region and some parts of Luzon. It has a bitter taste, hence the name.
The whole plant, except the roots, can be eaten. It can be sauteed or made into a salad. Papait is gathered only in the wild. Its habitat includes roadsides, rice fields, gardens, forests, etc.
Lupo
Lupo (Alternanthera sessilis), also known as bunga-bunga, lupo-lupo, aritana, grows abundantly in marshy areas and wetlands (near rivers, lakes, and ricefields). It is a perfect ingredient for ginisang munggo, laswa, sinabawang isda, tinola, etc. Lupo is a well-known vegetable in Iloilo and Negros, where it is available all year round.
Kulitis
Kulitis (Amaranthus sp.) is another edible herbaceous plant just like lupo. It is rarely cultivated and usually gathered in backyards, gardens, rice and corn fields, rivers, and other marshy areas.
Kulitis leaves are considered a superfood. They are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and manganese. Kulitis leaves are used in fish stew, laswa, law-uy, torta, bulanglang, etc. They can be an alternative green for dishes instead of malunggay leaves, talinum, and chili leaves.
Sapsapon
Sapsapon (Crassocephalum crepidiodes) is a naturalized species of annual herb that is considered a wild food. They thrive on roadsides, forest clearings (kaingin), and wastelands.
Young leaves are cooked as a vegetable. It can be sauteed, mixed with munggo, or prepared as a salad. The leaves are aromatic and have mint/apple mango notes.