Edible Begonias

Learn about wild food with Green Deane. This video presents the begonia as an edible plant that has been grown around the world both as food and as an ornamental.

For more information including the culinary and medicinal uses of begonias as well as the recipes of “Begonia Tartlett” and “Begonia Spread“, visit Begonia Bonanza | Eat The Weeds and other things, too.

Culinary uses are found in Japan, India, Indonesia (a sauce for meat and fish), Myanmar, China (tea, salads and wild snack), Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay and the Philippines. For example, the leaves of Begonia fimbristipula, a deciduous herb with tubers 7-8 mm in diameter, are harvested and dried for brewing a beverage (tea) in Guangdong, China.

The Journal of Economic Botany has mentioned the following edible begonias:

1. B. annulata (aka B. hatacoa)
2. B. auriculata
3. B. barbata
4. B. fimbristipula (used to make a tea)
5. B. gracilis
6. B. grandis var evansiana
7. B. hernandioides
8. B. malabarica
9. B. mannii
10. B. palmata
11. B. picta
12. B. plebeja (stems peeled, sap is used to make a drink)
13. B. rex
14. B. roxburghii (cooked)
15. B. semperflorens

The Food Plants International Database lists more than 50 species as follows:

1. B. aptera
2. B. auriculata
3. B. barbata
4. B. baviensis
5. B. chlorosticta
6. B. crassirostris
7. B. cucullata
8. B. dryadis
9. B. elatostemmoides
10. B. eminii
11. B. fagoproides
12. B. fenicis
13. B. fimbristipula
14. B. fusca
15. B. fusialata
16. B. gracilis
17. B. grandis
18. B. hayatae
19. B. heracleifolia
20. B. hirsutula
21. B. hirtella
22. B. incarnata
23. B. josephi
24. B. katoensis
25. B. komoensis
26. B. laciniata
27. B. longifolia
28. B. macrocarpa
29. B. magnifolia
30. B. malabarica
31. B. manicata
32. B. mannii
33. B. muricata
34. B. nelumbiifolia
35. B. nitida
36. B. obversa
37. B. palmata
38. B. picta
39. B. plebeja
40. B. poggei
41. B. rex
42. B. roxburghii
43. B. rubella
44. B. rubrovenia
45. B. sciaphila
46. B. scutifolia
47. B. semperflorens
48. B. sessilifolia
49. B. sinensis
50. B. siriculata
51. B. spp.
52. B. squarrosa
53. B. tuberosa

According to Farmacy Friday | Agriscaping, Begonia semperflorens has the tastes of lime, lemon and green apple. Its medicinal value lies in pain relief.

According to Noble Media Works, Begonia malabarica has the power to cure serious nervous system problems and chest pain, to treat cold and congestion, to change skin tone and remove wrinkles.

Some animals, however cute and small, are not averse to consuming begonias with gusto.