Charles Davis Sep 9, 2012:

By the way, I don't know whether you've seen that three days ago someone asked about "escarcha coral" in Spanish-Italian:

http://www.proz.com/kudoz/spanish_to_italian/cooking_culinar...

So you're not alone! I don't think the answer was much help, though. Good luck. These plant names are a nightmare.

Lucy Williams (asker) Sep 9, 2012:

Yes the recipe does indeed include anémonas de tierra. Thank you so much for the detailed explanation and the links, I will read them properly now.

Charles Davis Sep 9, 2012:

Part 2 So I reckon "escarcha coral" probably refers to the other plant most commonly called "escarcha" in Spanish, which is Aptenia cordifolia, also known as rocío or aptenia, and in English as heartleaf ice plant or baby sun rose.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptenia_cordifolia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptenia_cordifolia

Aptenia is not only edible but much prized gastronomically:
http://www.spicegarden.eu/Planta-de-Aptenia-Aptenia-cordifol...

My guess is that they've called it "escarcha coral" here because of its bright red flowers, as opposed to Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, the common ice plant, which has white flowers.

So:
escarcha coral = Aptenia cordifolia, baby sun rose/heartleaf ice plant
anémonas de tierra = Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, common ice plant
algazul = Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum, slenderleaf ice plant.

There are other common names when you look. For example, you might consider using "Egyptian fig marigold" for "algazul" (check it out).

Charles Davis Sep 9, 2012:

@ Lucy The problem here is working out (or rather guessing) what they mean by "escarcha coral".

I am quite convinced that "algazul" refers to Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum normally called slenderleaf ice plant. The source Rachel has posted in her comment on Rick's answer confirms that this is the species, and to me everything points that way.

So what's "escarcha coral"? I can't find any botanical references to it at all. It only seems to be mentioned as part of a recipe (your recipe, I'd guess) which also includes "algazul" and, just to make things even more difficult, "anémonas de tierra".

The reason this makes it more difficult is that "anémona de tierra" is Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, known in English as the common ice plant. I can provide evidence if required, but there is really no doubt about it at all.

Now, "escarcha" on its own is usually one of two things. It can be, once again, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesembryanthemum_crystallinum. But "escarcha coral" can't mean that here, because clearly "escarcha coral" and "anémonas de tierra", in this recipe, are two different plants. They must be.

(to be continued)

Lucy Williams (asker) Sep 9, 2012:

So, what do I call escarcha coral and algazul when they appear in the same recipe?

Rachel Fell Sep 9, 2012:

Ice plant I find "common" names like this rather unhelpful, as they mean different things to different people...

Lucy Williams (asker) Sep 9, 2012:

So, what is escarcha coral? I had thought IT was iceplant.

Isamar Sep 9, 2012:

@ Charles I agree, it's not a seaweed and if you look in google images it is definitely not shown growing in water. I hadn't realised it was the common name of two plants as when I looked it up, the Latin name Aizoon hispanicum appeared. I stand corrected and will happily agree with DLyons's answer!

DLyons Sep 9, 2012:

Huerto de Elche The following link may not be the most authoritative, but it does give Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum in this context
http://desarrollorurallanzarote.wordpress.com/tag/gastronomi...

But maybe the generic "ice plant" would suffice?

Charles Davis Sep 9, 2012:

@ Lucy It's not a seaweed. Both answers are correct: "algazul" is the common name of two different plants: Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum (slenderleaf ice plant) and Aizoon hispanicum, or Aizoanthemum hispanicum (Spanish aizoon). The reason I've agreed with the former is that ice plants are certainly eaten, and this one does grow in the Elche area (it's called herba gelada in Valencian), whereas I can't find any evidence that Spanish aizoon is edible.

Rick could be right too; some sources identify algazul as Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, the common iceplant, though others say that's barrilla and algazul is M. nodiflorum. Here's another source, perhaps relevant to Elche:

http://herbariovirtualbanyeres.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/mesem...