Most of the popular vegetables that we know of are recent introductions in our kitchens. Indians have been eating wild vegetables for thousands of years, but unfortunately, we lost the track somewhere at the dawn of modern times. Tribals and rural Indians still value these wild vegetables. An interesting fact is that some wild vegetables have a dedicated cult following in urban areas & big cities where they are sold in special markets.
Following are some of the monsoon season wild vegetables in India, that you may want to look up in your local veggie market:
1. Bharangi (Rotheca serrata)
Plant part cooked as a vegetable: Tender leaves.
2. Dinda (Leea indica)
Plant part cooked as a vegetable: Tender Shoots.
3. Safed Musli (Chlorophytum tuberosum)
Plant part cooked as a vegetable: Leaves.
4. Takla (Cassia tora)
Plant part cooked as a vegetable: Tender leaves
5. Kurdu (Celosia argentea)
Plant part cooked as a vegetable: Teder leaves
6. Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus)
Plant part cooked as vegetable or pickled: Tender bamboo shoots.
7. Shevala (Amorphophallus commutatus)
Plant part cooked as a vegetable: Inflorescence (tender flowering stalks).
This short-lived vegetable is considered as a delicacy in Thane & Palghar districts of Maharashtra.
8. Kartoli (Momordica dioica)
Plant part cooked as a vegetable: Young green fruits
9. Kawla (Smithia hirsuta)
Plant part cooked as a vegetable: Tender leaves
10. Korla (Bauhinia malabarica)
Plant part cooked as a vegetable: Tender leaves
11. Kuda (Holarrhena pubescens)
Plant part cooked as a vegetable: Tender fruits (pods)
12. Wild arvi/ Raan Aalu (Colocasia esculenta)
Plant part cooked as a vegetable: Leaves
Apart from these, there are are hundreds of more wild vegetables with different common names, cherished all over India by locals. All of these vegetables are cooked in desi style by using local spices and ingredients.
You may want to read more about perennial vegetables in India.
Picture courtesy: Seema Hardikar, FERN.
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