Loroco

Loroco is the spice produced from the unopened flower buds of Fernaldia pandurata, a Central American climbing vine in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae). Picked before they bloom, the green buds taste something like asparagus crossed with mild broccoli, and in El Salvador and Guatemala, they’re added to pupusas with cheese, scrambled eggs, and rice dishes. The buds are safe, though the plant’s roots are toxic.