Ora Pro Nobis: Give us this day our daily…hedge clippings

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In the month of May, there is an interesting festival in the interior of Brazil in the state of Minas Gerais, called The Festival of Ora Pro Nobis. The name is Latin meaning “pray for us,” but this is not a religious festival by any means. On the contrary, it’s a festival of food, specifically in regional dishes made with the leaves of the Ora Pro Nobis plant -- not to mention all the beer and caipirinhas one can drink. Ora Pro Nobis…pray for us.

Now I, as a good mineira (girl from Minas Gerais), already know all about Ora Pro Nobis from my childhood at my grandmother’s country house. This plant, which grows abundantly in the area, is known as the “meat of the poor.” It’s said in Brazil that a family with an Ora Pro Nobis plant in its backyard will never be malnourished. Outside my home state, dishes made with Ora Pro Nobis can be found only in the fanciest of restaurants in Brazil’s biggest cities. Now there’s irony for you. Ora Pro Nobis.

The origin of the name comes from the plant’s historical use by the Churches to make tall hedges around the church grounds. Picking the leaves was forbidden by the priests, of course, but with the temptation so clearly visible, the people found a way to obtain the succulent leaves while the priest was not looking -- during his daily Ora Pro Nobis (pray for us) prayer.

The plant has small leaves that are dark green and meaty. It’s customarily prepared in saucy dishes with pork, chicken, duck, codfish, ground beef, or in omelets. It’s a cactus from a particularly ancient genus, of the Pereskias family, which have small leaves and interwoven stick-like branches, similar to a Bougainville. It has long, but soft and supple thorns and pretty yellow flowers that are also edible and smell of citrus.

Ora Pro Nobis has high concentrations of calcium, magnesium, iron, lysine and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3 and C. It’s also high in fiber, protein and carbohydrates -- higher even than spinach. It has one of the highest concentrations of protein of any plant on the planet.

These healthy little leaves also have medicinal properties and are used to treat skin infections and tumors. The fruit of the Ora Pro Nobis is used as an expectorant and antiviral treatment. Together, they combat stomach problems, aid digestion, cure anemia, and help stimulate healthy intestinal flora. Ora Pro Nobis.

I’ve discovered that I can encounter this familiar plant right here in the northern lands, since it grows in the more humid and tropical states, like Texas and Florida. Here it’s known as Spanish Goosberry, Barbados Goosberry, Bladde Apple, Lemonvine and Sweet Mary. And you know…those who seek shall find. Maybe I’ll even come across an Ora Pro Nobis festival around here someday.

Story by Edna Sousa for Waterside Syndication

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