Roselle (plant)
Roselle is a species of flowering plant in the genus Hibiscus that is native to Africa, most likely West Africa. In the 16th and early 17th centuries it was spread to Asia and the West Indies, where it has since become naturalized in many places. The stems are used for the production of bast fibre and the dried cranberry-tasting calyces are commonly steeped to make a popular infusion known by many names, including zobo and carcade.
Description
Roselle is an annual or perennial herb or woody-based subshrub, growing to tall. The leaves are deeply three- to five-lobed, long, arranged alternately on the stems.The flowers are in diameter, white to pale yellow with a dark red spot at the base of each petal, and have a stout, conspicuous calyx at the base, wide, enlarging to and becoming fleshy and a deep crimson red as the fruit matures, which takes about six months.
Names
Asia
Roselle is known as karkadeh in Arabic, chin baung in Burmese, luòshénhuā in Chinese, in Thai, ສົ້ມພໍດີ /sőm phɔː diː/ in Lao, ស្លឹកជូរ /slɜk cuː/ សណ្តាន់ទេស /sɑndan tẹːh/, ម្ជូរបារាំង /məcuː baraŋ/, or ម្ជូរព្រឹក /məcuː prɨk/ in Khmer, cây quế mầu, cây bụp giấm, or cây bụt giấm in Vietnamese, and rosela, asam kumbang, asam susur, or asam paya in Indonesian.South Asia
Roselle is known as chukur/chukai, and amlamadhur in Bengali. It is called ya pung by the Marma people of Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts.In north eastern India and environs, it is called tengamora by various indigenous ethnic groups of Assam. In addition, it is known as hoilfa in Sylheti, dachang or datchang by Atongs, mwita among the Bodo, Rongya Mwkhui among the Tipra Sa Mostly in Tripura Bangladesh amile among Chakmas mostly in Chittagong, gal•da among Garos, Khandrong among Tiwa, hanserong among Karbi, hantserup among Lotha of Nagaland. Other names are okhreo among Maos, sillo sougri among Meitei and belchanda among Nepalis. Anthur sen in Hakha Chin, lakher anthur in Mizo and hmiakhu saipa or matu hmiakhu in the Mara language are names used in Mizoram, India and Chin State, Myanmar.
In eastern and central India, roselle in Odia is known as kaaunria saga in Koraput and Malkangiri districts of Odisha, khata palanga in the Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack districts and takabhendi in the Balasore district. In the Chota Nagpur region, it is called kudrum or dhepa saag in Nagpuri. It is also known by other names in different languages of this region, like ipil jongor, which means "star fruit" in the Mundari language.
In southern and western India, it is known as pundi palle or pundi soppu in Kannada, mathippuli or pulivenda in Malayalam, ambadi in Maharashtra, pulicha keerai in Tamil and gongura in Telugu.
Australia
In Australia, roselle is known as the rosella or rosella fruit, to distinguish it from rosella, a native bird. It is naturalised in Australia and its introduction is thought to have been from interactions with Makassar traders visiting the north coast. It is djam in Yolŋu Matha, spoken by Yolngu, one of the peoples who met with the trepangers. Australia also has a native rosella, Hibiscus heterophyllus, known as wyrrung to Koori aboriginal people in New South Wales. It is indigenous to eastern parts of New South Wales and Queensland and is one of about 40 species of Hibiscus native to Australia.Africa
In West Africa, roselle is known as ìsápá among the Yoruba in southwest Nigeria and yakuwa by the Hausa people of northern Nigeria who also call the seeds gurguzu and the capsule cover zoborodo or zobo. In Igbo which is spoken in Southern Nigeria, as well as Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, it is called ojō or ọkwọrọ-ozo.Among the Tiv people of Central Nigeria, the plant is called ashwe while the capsule is referred to as agbende ashwe. It is primarily consumed as a soup in three forms: The leaves are either cooked, or steamed and crushed on a grinding stone, in which form it is considered a delicacy due to its preservation of the characteristic tang of the leaves. The outer covering of the capsule is also cooked as a soup which does not have the tang of the leaves. The red variant of the capsule are rarely cooked, but instead boiled and the extract cooled and drunk. This form is known as zobo, which is actually a borrowed name, just as this method of preparation is borrowed. Traditionally the red variant was used as a dye to color wood, and similar materials.
In Fula language, spoken in a number of countries across West and Middle Africa, roselle is known as chia or foléré. It is known as bisaab in Wolof, in Senegal,. It is wonjo in the Mandinka language, or kutjaa in Jola, languages of Gambia. In Dagbani, it is known as birili and a sour seasoning made from the flowers is kananjuŋ. It is called wegda in the Mossi language, one of four official regional languages spoken in Burkina Faso.
In Central Africa, roselle is called ngaï-ngaï in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while in the Central African Republic, it is dongö or ngbe in Sango.
In East Africa, roselle is called kärkädē in Amharic and Tigrinya, while in Swahili, one of the official languages of the East African Community, it is named choya.
Americas
Roselle is also known as Florida Cranberry or Jamaica sorrel in the United States. It is called saril, flor de Jamaica, agua de Jamaica or Jamaica in Spanish across Latin America.It is known as sorrel in many parts of the English-speaking Caribbean, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and most of the islands in the West Indies. In the French West Indies, it is known as groseille-pays, or as Gwozey-péi in Antillean Creole.
In Brazil, it has a number of names, including vinagreira, and caruru-azedo, and is an important part of a dish regional to the state of Maranhão, Arroz de cuxá.
Composition
Nutrition
Phytochemicals
The Hibiscus leaves are a good source of polyphenolic compounds. The major identified compounds include neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, caffeoylshikimic acid and flavonoid compounds such as quercetin, kaempferol and their derivatives. The flowers are rich in anthocyanins, as well as protocatechuic acid. The dried calyces contain the flavonoids gossypetin, hibiscetine and sabdaretine. The major pigment is not daphniphylline. Small amounts of myrtillin, chrysanthenin, and delphinidin are present. Roselle seeds are a good source of lipid-soluble antioxidants, particularly gamma-tocopherol.Uses
Culinary
In Bihar and Jharkhand roselle is also known as "kudrum" in local language. The bright red petal of the fruit is used for chutney which is sweet and sour in taste.In Saputara region, roselle is called khate fule also called as 'ambade fule' by local tribal language. The khate fule leaves are mixed with green chillies, salt, some garlic to prepare a chutney and bhaji which is served with jowar or bajra made bakho. This is eaten by tribals as breakfast to start their day. A dry dish or sukhi bajji is prepared with khate fule leaves.
In Andhra cuisine, roselle is called gongura and is extensively used. The leaves are steamed with lentils and cooked with dal. Another unique dish is prepared by mixing fried leaves with spices and made into a gongura pacchadi, the most famous dish of Andhra and Telangana often described as king of all Andhra foods.
In Manipuri, it is called Sougri and it is used as a vegetable. It is generally cooked without oil by boiling with some other herbs and dried fish and is a favorite of the Manipuri people. Almost every household has this plant in their homes.
In Burmese cuisine, called chin baung ywet, the roselle is widely used and considered affordable. It is perhaps the most widely eaten and popular vegetable in Myanmar. The leaves are fried with garlic, dried or fresh prawns and green chili or cooked with fish. A light soup made from roselle leaves and dried prawn stock is also a popular dish.
Among the Paites tribe of the Manipur Hibiscus sabdariffa and Hibiscus cannabinus locally known as anthuk are cooked along with chicken, fish, crab or pork or any meat, and cooked as a soup as one of their traditional cuisines.
In the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, it is known as galda and is consumed boiled with pork, chicken or fish. After monsoon, the leaves are dried and crushed into powder, then stored for cooking during winter in a rice powder stew, known as galda gisi pura. In the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, the plant is locally known as jajew, and the leaves are used in local cuisine, cooked with both dried and fresh fish. The Bodos and other indigenous Assamese communities of north east India cook its leaves with fish, shrimp or pork along with boiling it as vegetables which is much relished. Sometimes they add native lye called karwi or khar to bring down its tartness and add flavour.
In the Philippines, the leaves and flowers are used to add sourness to the chicken dish tinola.
In Vietnam, the young leaves, stems and fruits are used for cooking soups with fish or eel.
In Mali, the dried and ground leaves, also called djissima, are commonly used in Songhaï cuisine, in the regions of Timbuktu, Gao and their surroundings. It is the main ingredient in at least two dishes, one called djissima-gounday, where rice is slowly cooked in a broth containing the leaves and lamb, and the other dish is called djissima-mafé, where the leaves are cooked in a tomato sauce, also including lamb. Note that djissima-gounday is also considered an affordable dish.
In Namibia, it is called mutete, and it is consumed by people from the Kavango region in northeastern Namibia.
In the central African nations of Congo-Kinshasa, Congo-Brazzaville and Gabon the leaves are referred to as oseille or ngaï-ngaï, and are used puréed, or in a sauce, often with fish and/or aubergines.