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MazDee

Apr 23, 2008, 9:00 PM

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Berdolaga?

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I bought some berdolaga. (I may have spelled that wrong). I bought it because it looks like watercress, and tastes like it too, kinda, but not quite so spicy. I would like to use this in a green herb dip that calls for watercress, but don't want to expose my friends to something that maybe has unforseen properties I don't know about! I have not been able to find a translation of this word in my Larousse or by google. Any info appreciated, Dee

jennifer rose

Apr 23, 2008, 9:40 PM

Post #2 of 7 (6413 views)

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Re: [MazDee] Berdolaga?

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Verdolagas. Purslane.

Karen Hursh Graber has a recipe at http://www.mexconnected.com/...uercoverdolagas.html.

It's a weed. One time I got all excited about finding a use for them, and then I realized why they weren't exactly the most popular vegetable on the block. Maybe it's an acquired taste. They do have a lot of nutrients, but that's the best I can say about them. I would only feed them to very, very good friends who'd eat anything to humor me -- or sworn enemies. All right, they fall into the food category of okra and eggplant, items people really like or really hate.

MazDee

Apr 23, 2008, 9:57 PM

Post #3 of 7 (6411 views)

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Re: [jennifer rose] Berdolaga?

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Heck, I like eggplant and okra both, Jennifer! Guess I won't put it in the dip. I went to another site and they said it is what we call in US "purslane." This person found the reference by subsituting a "v" for a "b" and bingo! I forgot about that part. I tasted a bite raw and thought it was pretty good. Oh, well. Dee

jennifer rose

Apr 23, 2008, 10:05 PM

Post #4 of 7 (6409 views)

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Re: [MazDee] Berdolaga?

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Both eggplant and okra are among my favorite vegetables, too, but since both are relatively expensive and hard to find in Mexico, I've learned not to waste them on the unappreciative.

One time I bought all the okra that Walmart had -- a little over a half a kilo -- and fried it in cornmeal. My friend and I were concerned that there wouldn't be enough, since we had two guests to share it with. Guest #1 shrieked, "That's why I left the South," and Guest #2 daintily picked up with all the gusto usually reserved for fried rat and could barely choke it down. My friend and were thrilled, because we had the platter all to ourselves -- and dove in.

I tend to think that if verdolagas are cooked with other vegetables, meat and enough grease, the distinct flavor would meld with everything else, but I'm not too sure about adding them to a dip.

esperanza

Apr 24, 2008, 7:22 AM

Post #5 of 7 (6400 views)

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Re: [MazDee] Berdolaga?

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Verdolagas...I've made the Mexican dish espinazo con verdolagas, but I don't like their taste. They're extremely acidic--read SOUR. I think they'd be a better substitute for sauerkraut than for watercress.

Look around at your local tianguis for watercress. Our vendors here in Morelia often sell gorgeous watercress, and I've also bought it frequently in Guadalajara and in Ajijic, always at a tianguis. Yesterday at our Wednesday tianguis one of the vendors had a huge pile of it, about a foot high and two feet across. She offered me the whole pile for 25 pesos!

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

jaybear

May 2, 2008, 2:25 PM

Post #6 of 7 (6346 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Berdolaga?

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In the spring here at Chapala, before the weather turns really warm, I have used purslane (verdolagos) with a homemade oil and vinegar dressing and lots of fresh ground pepper and thought it was great--crunchier than watercress, easy to use, didn't notice a funny taste at all, and I do have a rep for sensing anything that tastes or smells "funny." So, maybe it is the time of year or the condition. I do remember checking with my gardener just to be sure that "verdolago" did not mean that it was green stuff that grew in the Lake. He assured me that it is grown on farms and not in the Lake or the River Lerma either.
"Don't believe everything you think" - Maxine

JayBear

vatapittakapha

Jul 15, 2008, 7:51 PM

Post #7 of 7 (6305 views)

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Re: [MazDee] Berdolaga?

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Here's a link to a South Asian Indian blog that details some information on Verdolagas or Purslane:

http://vineelascooking.blogspot.com/...ila-aaaku-pappu.html

The recipe comes from the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India. If you try it, would you let me know what you think of it?

Allan D'Souza
Hayward, California
vikruti@yahoo.com

(This post was edited by Rolly on Jul 16, 2008, 6:32 AM)