The herbal plant called Callaloo is the popular Jamaican name for what is otherwise known as Amaranth greens. Advertisements. Amaranth leaves are a good source of potassium. Light green leaves are great in stews, stir fries and soups, having a tangy, spinach-like flavor. 1, 2007, pp. While Jamaicans tend to steam callaloo leaf with tomatoes, salt, peppers, onions, scallions, with or without salt-fish, Trinidadians and Saint Lucians use Callaloo leaves/ dasheen bush, okra, coconut milk, pumpkin, onions, bell peppers, local seasonings and spices along with crabs or pigtails. Easy to grow in warm weather. It is often eaten with roasted breadfruit, boiled green bananas and dumplings and it is a popular breakfast dish. Salt and pepper is added. Growing Habits of Callaloo Callaloo is a widely known Jamaican herb that typically can be found growing wild in abundance anywhere from the … This, as is the case with many other Caribbean dishes, is a remnant of West African cuisine.[1]. You can serve this dish with saltfish, johnny cakes, breadfruit, and boiled green plantains, if you wish to really partake in island gyal tings dem. Having ample potassium in the body helps move oxygen to the brain which stimulates n… There are many variations of callaloo which may include coconut milk, crab, conch, Caribbean lobster, meats, pumpkin, chili peppers, and other seasonings such as chopped onions and garlic. It's an incredibly nutritious green that can also be juiced and added to your favorite green juice recipe. In Grenada, callaloo is steamed with garlic, onion and coconut milk and often eaten as a side dish. Health Benefits of Jamaican Callaloo / Amaranth Greens. The scientific name of the plant is Amaranthus spinosus or Amaranth. You can harvest the young tender leaves or the mature leaves/stems for cooking. A similar variation is the recipe called "Laing" which is popular in the Philippines, mainly the Bicol region. Callaloo is the National Dish of the twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the Commonwealth of Dominica. The main ingredient is an indigenous leaf vegetable, traditionally either amaranth (known by many local names including callaloo, but not Spinach or bhaaji due to taste and texture), taro (known by many local names, including dasheeen bush, callaloo bush, callaloo, or bush) or Xanthosoma (known by many names, including coco & tannia). JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Please. A popular green vegetable in many countries, including many Caribbean islands where this plant is famous for Calaloo Seafood Soup. Callaloo, the dish, originates in West Africa. Add to Cart. Higman, B. W. “Jamaican Versions of Callaloo.” Callaloo, vol. It's an incredibly nutritious green that can also be juiced and added to your favorite green juice recipe. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Due to the high iron content of callaloo, Grenadians douse it down with a fruit drink high in Vitamin C especially as Iron could only be absorbed in the presence of Vitamin C. In the Virgin Islands, callaloo is served with a dish of fungee on the side. Per 100 grams, they contain 90 % Vitamin C, 73% Vitamin A, 19% folate, 12% Vitamin B6, 57% manganese, 28% calcium, 17% iron and a lot of other nutrients like magnesium, copper, phosphorus and selenium in smaller quantities. Common Name(s): Amaranth, Callaloo, Jamaican Callaloo Latin Name: Amaranthus spp. Grow Heirloom Amaranthus - Plant Green Callaloo Amaranth SeedsAs with all amaranth seeds, Green Callaloo is exceedingly easy to grow! Item #33121 (Amaranthus viridis) [Jamaican variety, via Melissa DeSa in FL.] Young leaves can be used in salads while more mature leaves can be cooked. Since the leaf vegetable used in some regions may be locally called "callaloo" or "callaloo bush" "dasheen Leaves", some confusion can arise among the vegetables and with the dish itself. Only registered users can write reviews. You can harvest the young tender leaves or the mature leaves/stems for cooking. Skip to the beginning of the images gallery, 2278 Baker Creek Road Mansfield, MO 65704. The plant, a type of amaranth grown for its greens… The study also found that tocotrienols may be protective against cancer and have anti-inflammatory qualities. Callaloo (sometimes callalloo, calalloo, calaloo or kallaloo) is a popular Caribbean vegetable dish. There are many variants across the Caribbean, depending on the availability of local vegetables. Amaranth Identification and Description. Callaloo (sometimes callalloo, calalloo, calaloo or kallaloo) is a popular Caribbean vegetable dish. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. "Callaloo" in Trinidad is used in a variety of dishes including Callaloo soup or "oil down". The flower buds … [2] The 'callaloo' made in Jamaica is different from the 'callaloo' made in Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and rest of the Caribbean in terms of main ingredient (the leaf used) and other ingredients included. Easy to grow in warm weather. In Guadeloupe, "calalou au crabe" (crab callaloo) is a traditional Easter dish. Callaloo Amaranth Greens. It is also one of the most important ingredient in Oil Down, the Island's National Dish comprising steamed breadfruit, callaloo, dumplings, ground provision, carrot and several varieties of meat--salt fish, chicken, pork. Trinidadians have embraced this dish from their ancestors and over time have added ingredients such as coconut milk to modify its flavour. In Jamaica, callaloo is often combined with saltfish and is usually seasoned with tomatoes, onion, escallion, scotch bonnet peppers and margarine/cooking oil and steamed. All of this is steamed in coconut milk and saffron powder. A popular green vegetable in many countries, including many Caribbean islands where this plant is famous for Calaloo Seafood Soup. Callaloo is a fast-growing tall leafy green from the amaranth family. In Guyana it is made in various ways without okra. The smooth bright green leaves have a tangy spinach like taste, and is often used like spinach. Seed Count: Approx. Light green leaves are great in stews, stir fries and soups, having a tangy, spinach-like flavor. Callaloo is a fast-growing tall leafy green from the amaranth family. A popular green vegetable in many countries, including many Caribbean islands where this plant is famous for Calaloo Seafood Soup. Tocotrienols are a form of vitamin E that may reduce cholesterol as well as your risk of heart disease, according to a study published in the 2014 addition of the journal Nutrition & Metabolism. p. 125, Callaloo - Volume 30, Number 1, Winter 2007, pp. The young leaves can be used fresh in salads, and the more mature leaves should be cooked, and can be used in stir fries, soups and stews. Callaloo in Trinidad & Tobago and other eastern Caribbean countries is generally made with okra and dasheen or water spinach Ipomoea aquatica. Grenadians also stir or blend the mixture until it has a smooth consistent texture.