Hoja Santa

Piper auritum

Plant family: Piperaceae

Hoja Santa is a plant that goes by many names such as root beer plant, Mexican pepperleaf, acuyo, and tlanepa. It is an aromatic herb with beautiful, heart-shaped leaves and a distinct peppery anise flavor.

Cooking with Hoja Santa

In certain parts of Mexico, hoja santa is commonly added to stews, sauces, mole, pozole, chocolate drinks, and rice dishes. It's also used to wrap tamales, fried fish, and cheese. We haven't worked with this plant in many ways yet and will update this post as we get to know it better. So far we've worked with hoja santa by layering it into casseroles, cooking it with fried eggs, and blending it into a pipian sauce.

Growing Hoja Santa in the Garden Ecosystem

Hoja santa likes moist soil, partial shade, and is quite dramatic (it will let you know when it's too dry, as the leaves will droop, then it will perk right back up once watered). This plant makes a nice ornamental plant, but it will spread quickly to fill in the space it's given by sending out runners, so be sure to choose your planting location wisely and keep it contained (large containers or galvanized tubs make a great spot for this plant). We've also seen it used in landscaping where there's a moist spot surrounded by concrete. It will die back in the winter, but will emerge again in the spring.

We often have hoja santa, along with other edible perennial plants for sale. You can see our weekly plant list here.