Quirquiña

Quirquiña is a leafy, tender herb with spear-shaped green leaves and slender stems. Its flavor is pungent and citrusy with a resinous, peppery edge, and a few leaves can perfume a dish; it holds best when used raw or added at the end of cooking. Cooks chop it into llajua and other fresh salsas, tuck sprigs into sandwiches, and scatter it over soups; it is sold mainly in fresh bunches.

Native to the highlands of Bolivia and neighboring Andean regions, quirquiña corresponds to Porophyllum ruderale, related to the Mexican herb papalo. It remains a staple in Bolivian and Peruvian markets and appears in Mexican cuisines under local names, grown as a warm-season annual.