Green amaranth, a wild flowering herb, is a popular and nutritious staple in many cultures, including Greece and economically endangered areas of Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia. It can be eaten raw or cooked and is known for its subtle, slightly bitter taste and smooth texture. It is also used for its medicinal properties in various medical traditions.
The Amaranthus genus of wild flowering herbs includes about 60 species that grow in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Many of these species, such as Amaranthus viridis, are sought after by low-budget cooks for use as a salad, despite the plant being widely considered an invasive weed throughout North America. Widely known as green amaranth, A. viridis can actually be incorporated into the diet in a variety of ways. Some do it for the supposed medicinal properties of the plant, while others just like the taste.
In Greece, green amaranth is one of the most popular greens. Called vlita in Crete and horta in the rest of Greece, this plant grows throughout the countryside, in ditches, along roadsides and in many back gardens. Along with other common greens like spinach, chicory, endive, and chard, these can be tossed into salads, sautéed in sauces, or boiled as a side dish like spinach.
In many cultures, this plant is considered a staple of a poor person’s diet. A popular yet inexpensive preparation for green amaranth is a Greek dish called horta vrasta. This involves boiling vegetables until soft in salted water, then seasoning them with a distinctly Mediterranean combination of lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. According to the second volume of the US National Research Council’s book Lost Crops of Africa, green amaranth is the most consumed green across not only the economically endangered lowlands of Africa, but also the Caribbean, southern Americas and Central and Asia.
Green amaranth has a slightly bitter, but not overpowering, taste when eaten raw. When boiled or sautéed, however, it has a reputation for a subtle, slightly bitter taste and smooth texture. Green amaranth of the species Amaranthus tricolor is known around the world as Chinese spinach for its regular use in that capacity and nearly identical nutritional makeup. Some even prize the seeds for grain and the stalks for snacks.
Aside from amaranth’s high-vitamin dietary value, several medical traditions from Indian Ayurveda to Chinese herbalism respect this green as a healing herb. Many use it as a homeopathic remedy for its astringent qualities and its purported ability to relieve digestive problems caused by internal inflammation. In some parts of South Africa, lactating women eat the tops of amaranth stems to increase nutrition and to promote the flow of breast milk. It is also used as a so-called vermifuge, which helps the body get rid of invasive colonies of worms.
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