It would probably take a lot of courage for restaurateurs to feature weeds on their menu- how would they list them? ?Native weeds, hand-plucked from the sunny roadsides of Mauritius, gently sautéed with tender onions and fresh crushed garlic for your eating pleasure...? I guess it?s because the public relations campaign on weeds will never be as great as the one facilitated for spinach by the illustrious Popeye. While North Americans and Europeans are quite familiar with leaves such as bok choy, dandelion, endives or rapini, here in the southern seas, a whole other world of greens is available and, although they may have started out as weeds technically, many have been promoted to ?cultivated? status.

In Creole, leafy greens are called ?brede?. ?Brede? type vegetables are needed for a healthy system because not only do they provide excellent nutrition but their leaf fibres help to scrub out the pockets of the intestines. The preparation of these greens varies only slightly;they are usually sautéed with onions and garlic or they can be tossed into bouillon as the final ingredient.

To name a few, let?s start with Brede Martin (Solanum nirum L). It commonly grows on roadsides. Cooked in soup, each 100g contains 410 mg calcium, 70mg phosphorus, 20.5mg iron and 11.0mg of Vitamin C. It is rich in riboflavin and iron. It is so rich in iron that rabbits can die if they eat it and those individuals with high blood pressure should avoid eating it.

Brede Gandolle (Basella alba L) looks similar to and is cooked like spinach. Although it may be hard to find, it adds a nice flavour to dahl (lentil) soup. It is rich in calcium, iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, and B2. Its fruit has been used as a red dye for official Chinese seals, (it can be used as a food colouring in limited amounts) and, last but not least, it helps alleviate constipation.

Brede Malabar (Amaranthus hydridus L.) is rich in proteins and amino acids. To understand just how important proteins are, consider that after water (and the human is made up of approximately 3/4 water) protein is the next most important substance (organs, ligaments and muscles) of which we are made. Brede Malabar can also help to reduce fever and is cooked just like spinach.

Brede Moroungue: (Moringa oleifera L). Amazingly, one of its crushed seeds can clear a litre of dirty water within 20 minutes of 90% of the total coliform bacteria. The rest of the plant is also eaten (its leaves are high in Vitamin A and C and it is generally rich in calcium, iron and phosphorus). It is cooked like a vegetable with onions and garlic. It is such a versatile plant; it is used for its fuel like oil, its wood and its decorative use in landscaping for shade.

You?d better let the restaurants figure out which type of wine to drink with your plate of greens, but, in the meantime, if you are a true food adventurer, why not ask the chef in your hotel or favourite restaurant if he will cook up a plate of these for you? Just remind him to watch out for the traffic!

<B>Angela KEESSOONDYAL</B>