Pantry guide
Best Hoja santa for home cooking
What Hoja santa is for, which kitchens use it, and where to find a jar worth cooking with.
Why cooks start here
The anise-sassafras leaf Mexican cooks wrap around fish and cheese: a Piper cousin of black pepper, used as a wrapper and a perfume.
Use it as a wrapper, briefly wilted over a flame, or sliced into a sauce at the end. Long boiling dulls it. The veins are sturdy; do not be afraid of a whole leaf in a steamer.
If you cannot find fresh leaves, some Mexican markets sell them frozen. Dried hoja santa is a distant cousin of the real thing.
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Related kitchens
The Mexican pantry, pots, and table
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