Imagine a tree that produces delicious greens with two or three times the nutritional content of most leafy vegetables, that comes back year after year, and not only that, thrives on neglect! This plant was a staple food source eaten by the Maya people thousands of years ago, but sadly, has since faded into obscurity.
Let’s learn about Chaya!
Know it
Chaya is a perennial shrub or small tree native to the Yucatan Peninsula. The people who have lived in the Yucatan and surrounding southern Mexico & Central America have been eating chaya for thousands of years! This means that the ancient Maya, the mysterious builders of the pyramids in southern Mexico, were chomping down on some chaya way back in the day!
It’s no surprise that they were strong enough to move such huge stones into place; Chaya is a nutritional powerhouse!
Young leaves and shoots are rich in protein, calcium, iron, carotine, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin C and fiber. Studies have shown that Chaya has two to three times more nutrients than other leafy greens such as spinach and cabbage.
Chaya also has a myriad of other purported benefits: Improving blood circulation, lowering cholesterol, preventing cough, and fighting both diabetes and arthritis. But while Chaya’s nutritional value has been demonstrated in the lab, like so many other plants, Chaya’s other potential benefits have not yet been fully studied.
A word of caution, however. Chaya leaves contain a hydrocyanic compound which can cause tissue damage if consumed raw. Don’t freak out though, this isn’t uncommon. Many other vegetables have toxic or antinutritive properties when raw — for example, Lima Beans and Cassava, which have the same compound as Chaya. The toxic compound is easily destroyed by cooking and floats away as a harmless gas. (And by the way, the resulting broth is perfectly good to drink; in fact, it has a lot of nutrition!)
Meet it
“Okay, this sounds great! Where do I get me some of this here Miracle Mayan Spinach?”
Well, I hate to disappoint you, but this isn’t a vegetable you can find at the Grocery Store. I’ve never once seen it for sale anywhere.
In fact, even though this plant is native to Mexico, I’ve never seen it even in Mexican specialty markets.
And thats a cryin’ shame, because this plant is not only incredibly nutritious, its easy to grow!
Grow it
Chaya loves warm, wet weather but tolerates drought beautifully. I hardly ever have to water it — even in hot, arid central TX. It’s not fussy about soil type, and has virtually no pest problems.
The only thing it can’t deal with is cold weather. Here in my climate; it dies back at the first frost in the winter and sprouts back next spring. Just make sure you give your Chaya plants plenty of mulch to keep them nice and toasty under the ground.
Chaya has a small white flower but only very rarely produces seeds. For that reason, cuttings are the primary method for making new plants. Propagation is so easy from cuttings, you can quickly have a forest of Chaya if you want one.
Simply cut a 6″ stem, remove leaves, stick the stem in rooting compound and put it in some moist growing medium. Plant when the roots have fully formed. I started with one sprig given to me by from a friend in the Rio Grande Valley and now have dozens of plants.
Eat it
Chaya is easy to cook, and has a mild taste, taking on the flavors of what it’s cooked with. You can put it in soups, stews, stir-fry, pasta, etc. to bump up the nutritional value of those dishes.
Or, just serve as a mess of greens with a little pat of butter on top.
But there are two basic rules:
First, Chaya must be thoroughly cooked (remember that hydrocyanic compound?) And by “thoroughly,” I mean boil it for about 15 minutes. Some sources say less, but I like to be on the safe side.
This is not a plant you’d want to saute, anyway, the way you would spinach. The leaves have a lower moisture content than traditional leafy greens and the Chaya would be tough and leathery. Treat Chaya more like collard greens or kale than spinach!
Second: DON’T use an aluminum pot: The compounds in the leaves will react with aluminum in the pot and you might be running to the bathroom and get stuck there for a while.
As long as you cook Chaya properly, it can be a great source of nutrition! I hope you consider trying this ancient green, and maybe even planting one in your yard!
Check out these links if you want to learn more:
