"Today's curiosities are "maxixe" and "jiló." Both plants are thought to originate in Africa and to have been introduced into Brazil at the time of the slave trade. Maxixe (mah-SHE-she) is the prickly one that looks like a projectile of choice for teenage boys. It's actually just like a cucumber on the inside and can be eaten raw. I ate the spikes too since the ones I got weren't overly mature. It is also known as the "West Indian gherkin" and "bur cucumber," but I think the Portuguese name wins the prize for "Best Name to Repeat Over and Over Again in a Sing-Song Voice." What looks like a small, green eggplant is the jiló (gzee-LAW), also known by the less appetizing name of "garden egg." It's kind of like an eggplant, 'cept different, and the rounder ones, like these, are bitter. They are harvested while still unripe because the mature crops become even more bitter (and turn orange). You can sautée them with garlic and other veggies for an interesting mix of bitter and salty."
Este trecho é do post brasileiro do blog da Katrina, Weird Vegetables. Ela estuda em Berkeley, é tradutora (está no Brasil pesquisando as voltinhas de Elizabeth Bishop pelo país) e nos conhecemos durante a Flip. Katrina diz que adora couve e que se pudesse, seria uma cebola. Além de preferir (sabiamente) o agrião a rúcula. A Vanessa mandou pra ela a imagem do Rei Repolhão, que reproduzo abaixo.
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