Horopito

Horopito is the herb derived from the leaves of Pseudowintera colorata, a small evergreen shrub in the Winteraceae family. Endemic to Aotearoa, New Zealand, its pale green leaves with a splash of red deliver a slow-building, fiery, tongue-numbing heat. It works as a native alternative to pepper or chile: rubbed onto meat, smoldered to smoke fish, steeped into tea, or stirred through sauces.