Meet Pancit-pancitan

October 16, 2024

I don’t remember the first time I had pancit-pancitan, but it never leaves my mind because it’s one of my favorite edible plants in the Philippines. Its stems are succulent, and leaves tasty. When I was still in Manila I’d grow it on our window sill, grabbing a bite from my pot pancit-pancitan every other morning or so when I’d water my plants.

I did some desktop research (Googling), and found that pancit-pancitan is called sinaw-sinaw in Bisaya, though I’ve never seen my family eat this in Bohol. In Luzon it is typically known as pancit-pancitan, possibly due to its tube-like stems, while in the Visayas it is called sinaw-sinaw which may refer to its shiny leaves since sinaw means shine or shimmer. It can also be found in other tropical places all over the world like Hawaii and South America. In northeast Brazil it is called “coraçãozinho” which means little heart, referring to the heart-shaped leaves of the plant (Kartika 2016).

I’d occasionally add it to sandwiches and soups, but most of all salads. A simple recipe includes chopped tomatoes, diced red onion, and bagoong isda or ginamos. Or make it even healthier, especially for vegans or vegetarians, by using a vinaigrette with your local suka (vinegar) or add olive oil and a bit of salt.

Its scientific name is Peperomia pellucida, which might sound familar. That’s because it is in the same family as the plant from which black pepper is derived: Piperaceae, the pepper family.

Last but not least, pancit-pancitan is one of 10 medicinal plants recommended by the Department of Health in the Philippines. It has long been used to treat joint pain, and even lowers uric acid levels (HIA Boy 2018) which helps minimize or prevent gout. Elsewhere it has been used to treat eye inflammation in South America, cholesterol in Brazil, and uric acid in Guyana (Bibanco 2016).