The Nature of Eureka

892

Weedy Perilla

One culture’s weed is another culture’s food. A common East Asian weed in the eastern United States is perilla (Perilla frutescens), also called beefsteak plant or shiso. In the Ozarks, where it is commonly naturalized, it has the folk name rattlesnake weed. As you brush by an abundant stand while walking down a wooded road in autumn, the dried seed casings rattle, hinting of the buzz of a disturbed rattler.

Though native to East Asia, it probably arrived in North America as a garden ornamental from Europe. The ruffled-edged, often purple leaves, with a metallic luster, make it an attractive foliage ornamental. It has an appearance similar to an ornamental coleus or purple basil.

By the time the sixth edition of Gray’s Manual of Botany was published in 1889, perilla had already established itself “about dwellings and roadsides” in Southern Illinois. But when Small’s Flora of the Southeastern United States was published in 1903, the plant had spread from Illinois to New York and south to Georgia. Today it occurs throughout the eastern U.S., except the three most northern New England states, extending west to Iowa and Texas. It is also commonly planted in herb gardens.

The leaves have a very peculiar fragrance and flavor which turns off some people; best to use it sparingly. In Japan, the fresh leaves are used as a garnish, much as we use parsley – edible yet not necessarily eaten. The flower stalks and dried seed stalks are also used as a garnish. The tiny seedlings are used as a spice to flavor sushi or may be dipped and deep fried in a tempura batter.

Mature leaves are used to flavor bean curds, pickles, and as a garnish for tempura. The leaves are also used to counteract the discomfort from eating too much seafood. The purple-leaf forms are a coloring for pickled apricots and ginger, and the fading leaf stalks can be used sparingly as an ingredient in soups.

In Japan, the seeds, which can be harvested by bundling handfuls of the seeding plant upside down in a paper bag, are preserved in salt, then used as a condiment. It’s only used in small amounts, as consuming too much may cause lung lesions, but the odd flavor will keep you from eating much of it.