What is the difference between pipicha and papalo?

They are sister herbs of the genus Porophyllum but distinct species. Papalo (Porophyllum macrocephalum or ruderale) has wide rounded leaves and a very intense aroma; it is eaten raw. Pipicha (Porophyllum tagetoides) has slender, elongated leaves and a more subtle aroma with citrus-anise notes; it is used raw or briefly cooked. Pipicha is predominantly Oaxacan; papalo is Pueblan.

What does pipicha taste like?

It has an aromatic herbal flavour milder than papalo, with notes combining fresh coriander, gentle anise and lemon. It is less polarising than papalo and more versatile. It brings freshness and a citrusy touch that especially enhances young maize, fresh cheese, chillies and masas. Its fresh profile makes it ideal in preparations with sweetcorn.

It is used fresh, chopped or in small sprigs. It is added to chileatole of sweetcorn during the last few minutes of cooking to perfume it; added raw to esquites, tlacoyos, memelas, country broths and soups. Unlike papalo, it tolerates brief cooking. The leaves are sold in bunches in Oaxacan and Pueblan markets in season (June-October).

Where does pipicha come from?

It is native to central-southern Mexico, particularly Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala and the Mixteca. Its name has Nahua roots. Sahagún documented related plants in the Florentine Codex. Today it is grown and gathered mainly in Oaxaca, where it has formed part of the regional repertoire since pre-Hispanic times. CONABIO documents it as a native plant with traditional ethnobotanical use.

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Pipicha: an Oaxacan aromatic herb

What is it?

Pipicha (Porophyllum tagetoides), also spelled pipitza or pipicha, is a Mexican aromatic herb of the Asteraceae family whose slender, elongated, green leaves are eaten fresh or briefly cooked as a seasoning. It is a close relative of papalo, but its leaves are narrower and its aroma more subtle and citrusy, with notes that combine coriander, anise and lemon. It is grown and grows wild mainly in Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala and the Mixteca, where it forms part of the regional repertoire. It is essential in chileatole (a salty, spicy sweetcorn atole), in sweetcorn soups and in preparations with tender maize. It also appears in some tlacoyos, tacos and country broths. Its use is less widespread than papalo but equally identity-defining in Oaxacan cooking, where it brings a distinctive fresh aromatic profile.

Origin and history

Pipicha has a pre-Hispanic origin and is part of the traditional quelites of the Mexican altiplano and the Mixteca. Its name comes from Nahuatl, possibly from 'pipiztli' or similar names for the Porophyllum. It belongs to the same family and genus as papalo (Porophyllum) and the Nahua, Mixtec and Zapotec peoples ate it as a seasoning. Fray Bernardino de Sahagún documented various quelites in the Florentine Codex, where the Porophyllum appear generically under the Nahuatl name 'papaloquilitl'. CONABIO documents Porophyllum tagetoides as a wild and semi-cultivated plant in central and southern Mexico. Larousse Cocina lists it as an aromatic herb of Oaxacan and Pueblan cooking. It is one of the herbs that best preserve pre-Hispanic culinary continuity, with uninterrupted use in the regional cuisines of indigenous peoples of southern Mexico. Its local name varies slightly: 'pipicha' in Oaxaca, 'pipiltza' or 'pipitza' in Puebla and Tlaxcala. The tender leaves are harvested before flowering for the best aroma.

Characteristic ingredients

Pipicha is an annual herbaceous plant 30-80 cm tall, with cylindrical green or reddish stems, alternate narrow lance-shaped leaves with oil glands visible against the light, and small tubular flower heads with violet or whitish-yellow flowers. It grows in disturbed soils, milpas, backyards and cultivated fields of central and southern Mexico. Its leaves contain essential oils with tagetone, limonene and other volatile terpenes that bring the characteristic aroma, similar to papalo but more subtle and citrusy. It provides vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, calcium and antioxidants. Unlike papalo, pipicha tolerates brief cooking better and is used both raw and lightly cooked in some stews: it is added to chileatole during the last few minutes of boiling to perfume it without destroying its aroma. It is also added fresh to tlacoyos, memelas and country broths. It keeps as a bouquet in water or refrigerated wrapped in damp paper, although it loses aroma quickly. The main season runs from June to October.

Cultural significance

Pipicha is an identity-defining aromatic marker of Oaxacan cuisine and of the Pueblan Mixteca. Its most emblematic use is in chileatole of sweetcorn, a salty spicy atole with young maize, masa, chilli and pipicha, considered one of the classic antojitos of Oaxacan markets. It also appears in sweetcorn soups, esquites with fresh cheese, filled tlacoyos and rural broths. SADER and CONABIO promote Mexican quelites as a strategy for food security. Oaxacan cooking, together with Michoacan cooking, was central to the declaration of traditional Mexican cuisine as Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010, and pipicha forms part of the corpus of representative culinary plants. Its sale at markets such as Tlacolula, Etla and the central market of Oaxaca sustains the family economies of farming women. Pipicha retains a very regional cultural value: in many places outside Oaxaca and Puebla it is practically unknown, which makes it an aroma that defines belonging to these regional cuisines.

Related recipes

Now that you know what it is, try cooking it at home with our step-by-step recipes:

We are preparing recipes for this guide. Check back soon.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between pipicha and papalo?: They are sister herbs of the genus Porophyllum but distinct species. Papalo (Porophyllum macrocephalum or ruderale) has wide rounded leaves and a very intense aroma; it is eaten raw. Pipicha (Porophyllum tagetoides) has slender, elongated leaves and a more subtle aroma with citrus-anise notes; it is used raw or briefly cooked. Pipicha is predominantly Oaxacan; papalo is Pueblan.
What does pipicha taste like?: It has an aromatic herbal flavour milder than papalo, with notes combining fresh coriander, gentle anise and lemon. It is less polarising than papalo and more versatile. It brings freshness and a citrusy touch that especially enhances young maize, fresh cheese, chillies and masas. Its fresh profile makes it ideal in preparations with sweetcorn.
How is pipicha used?: It is used fresh, chopped or in small sprigs. It is added to chileatole of sweetcorn during the last few minutes of cooking to perfume it; added raw to esquites, tlacoyos, memelas, country broths and soups. Unlike papalo, it tolerates brief cooking. The leaves are sold in bunches in Oaxacan and Pueblan markets in season (June-October).
Where does pipicha come from?: It is native to central-southern Mexico, particularly Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala and the Mixteca. Its name has Nahua roots. Sahagún documented related plants in the Florentine Codex. Today it is grown and gathered mainly in Oaxaca, where it has formed part of the regional repertoire since pre-Hispanic times. CONABIO documents it as a native plant with traditional ethnobotanical use.