Boiled greens are leaves cooked for food. They are part of many cuisines, and may be the leaves of common cultivated vegetables, such as spinach, fennel, mustard, or turnip, or the leaves of wild plants such as dandelion, wild radish, and purple amaranth.
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In certain countries of Africa, various species of nutritious amaranth are very widely eaten boiled.[1]
Celosia argentea var. argentea or "Lagos spinach" is one of the main boiled greens in West African cuisine.[2]
In Greek cuisine, khorta (χόρτα, lit. 'greens') are a common side dish, eaten hot or cold and usually seasoned with olive oil and lemon.[3]
At least 80 different kinds of greens are used, depending on the area and season, including: black mustard, dandelion, wild sorrel, chicory, fennel, chard, kale, mallow, black nightshade, lamb’s quarters, wild leeks, hoary mustard, charlock, Smooth Sow-thistle and even the fresh leaves of the caper plant.
Preboggion, a mixture of different wild boiled greens is used in Ligurian cuisine to stuff ravioli and pansoti.[4] One of the main ingredients of preboggion are borage (Borago officinalis) leaves. Preboggion is also sometimes added to minestrone soup and frittata.[5]
In the cuisine of the southern United States and the traditional cooking of African-Americans, turnip, collard, kale, garden cress, mustard, and pokeweed greens are commonly cooked, and often served with pieces of ham or bacon. The boiling water, called potlikker, is used as broth.