ENTRY: ora-pro-nóbis
CLASS: noun
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pereskia aculeata
EQUIVALENT: ora-pro-nobis
DEFINITION: Juicy, flavorful, dark green leaves rich in nutrients, consumed fresh, dried and especially cooked in traditional recipes from Minas Gerais, combined with chicken or meat dishes.
EXAMPLE: Add the ora-pro-nobis and sauté until wilted, adding a bit of stock if it seems too dry.
SOURCE INTERNET: http://www.theperfectpantry.com
COMMENT: This mucilagenous plant is a kind of cactus with spiny stems, making it difficult to pick the leaves, which can be used fresh in salads, dried to flavor soups and sauces or boiled with chicken or beef. Rich in protein, vitamins A, B and C, calcium, phosphorus and iron, it is ironically referred to as ‘meat of the poor’. Nobody knows for sure where its name – which means ‘pray for us’ in Latin - comes from, but legend has it that some people would pick the leaves at a church yard while listening to a father’s pray.