Acuyo: the Veracruz name for hoja santa

What is it?

Acuyo is the name by which, in Veracruz, Tabasco and southern parts of Mexico, hoja santa (Piper auritum) is known, an aromatic plant with broad heart-shaped leaves and a characteristic aroma of aniseed, sassafras and pepper. It is one of the most distinctive green seasonings of the cuisine of the Gulf of Mexico and the Huasteca region, where it is used fresh to wrap fish, tamales and meats, as well as to perfume green moles, broths and rice dishes. Its use extends to the gastronomy of Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Maya area, where it is known by other regional names such as tlanepa, momo, x-mak-ulam or hierba santa. Acuyo contributes an intense herbal note that defines traditional dishes of the humid Mexican tropics.

Origin and history

Acuyo is a plant of pre-Hispanic origin widely documented in Mexican colonial sources. Fray Bernardino de Sahagun, in his Historia general de las cosas de Nueva Espana (16th century), recorded the use of plants of the genus Piper among Mesoamerican peoples, who used their leaves both in cuisine and in traditional medicine. The name acuyo comes from Nahuatl and is preserved especially in central and southern Veracruz, as well as in Tabasco, where the plant grows wild in humid areas and lowland tropical forest. During the viceregal period, acuyo was one of the green seasonings that became part of culinary mestizaje, contributing aroma to colonial stews alongside European spices. Larousse Cocina and the Diccionario Enciclopedico de Gastronomia Mexicana recognise it as a regional synonym for hoja santa, a plant of the same genus as black pepper (Piper nigrum), which explains its complex aromatic profile. Its continuous consumption from pre-Hispanic times to the present makes it a living bridge between indigenous and contemporary cuisine.

Characteristic ingredients

Acuyo (Piper auritum) is a perennial shrub of the family Piperaceae that can reach between two and six metres in height. Its leaves are large, oval and heart-shaped, ranging in size from 20 to 50 centimetres long, with a velvety surface and intense green colour. It contains safrole, an aromatic compound also present in sassafras, which gives it its characteristic aniseed and slightly peppery aroma. In Veracruz cuisine it is used fresh: whole leaves wrap fish, mojarras and tamales, while chopped they are added to green moles, beef broths, black beans and scrambled eggs. In Oaxaca it is called hoja santa and is the base of green mole; in Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula it is used in pibes and Maya stews. Its flavour is reminiscent of aniseed, fennel and nutmeg, with a herbal background. Although it shares the plant with Veracruz acuyo, there are local variants with smaller or more aromatic leaves depending on the growing region.

Cultural significance

Acuyo occupies a central place in the culinary identity of the state of Veracruz and the Papaloapan basin, where it is considered an indispensable herb of traditional cuisine. It is one of the symbolic ingredients of the gastronomy of the Gulf of Mexico, recognised in 2010 by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity within the dossier of traditional Mexican cuisine, which includes the use of native aromatic herbs. In Tabasco it appears in wrapped pejelagarto, in Veracruz in masa-and-bean tamales and in Oaxaca in mole verde de espinazo. The leaf also has traditional medicinal uses documented by the Digital Library of Traditional Mexican Medicine of UNAM, where it is used in infusions for digestive complaints. Economically, it supports rural producers of the humid tropics who supply local markets and contemporary Mexican-cuisine restaurants, where chefs such as Enrique Olvera and Alejandro Ruiz have championed it as an identity ingredient of the country.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between acuyo and hoja santa?

There is no botanical difference: both names refer to the same plant, Piper auritum. Acuyo is the name used mainly in Veracruz and Tabasco, while hoja santa is the more widespread term in Oaxaca, Puebla and the rest of the country. In the Yucatan Peninsula it is also called x-mak-ulam and in Chiapas momo or tlanepa.

What does acuyo taste like?

Acuyo has a complex herbal flavour reminiscent of aniseed, fennel, sassafras and mild black pepper, with notes of nutmeg and eucalyptus. Its aromatic intensity comes from safrole and other essential oils present in its leaves. Raw it is more pungent; cooked it becomes rounder and integrates into sauces, moles and broths bringing herbal depth.

How is acuyo used in cooking?

It is almost always used fresh. Whole leaves serve to wrap fish, meats or tamales before steaming, grilling or earth-oven cooking. Chopped, it is added to green moles, chicken broths, scrambled eggs, black beans and rice. It also flavours artisanal fresh cheeses of the southeast and is used in traditional drinks and aguas frescas in some Veracruz villages.

Where is acuyo originally from?

Acuyo is native to Mesoamerica and grows wild in humid tropical regions from southern Mexico to Central America and northern South America. In Mexico, its main production and consumption areas are Veracruz, Tabasco, Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula. It is a perennial plant adapted to warm climates and humid soils of lowland and mid-elevation forest.