by Annabel Matherne Hogan
In south Louisiana's quiet muddy waters, a lotus plant called graine à voler grows wild in our bayous, and is eaten for its seed pod. It is a member of the Lotus flowering plant family, but since the early Cajuns didn't know its name, they called it graine à voler , or "grain that you steal." The name derived because, since the plant grew wild, it was free to be taken at any time.
The plant grows off-white, yellow flowers that are similar to magnolia flowers, but much larger. The flower is often 10" in width. The flowers peak in the middle of June, and begin declining until mid-July.
The plant goes through several stages, but it can be eaten at any time the seeds are present. It sprouts underwater from another long starchy stem which forms a bud that conceals the tiny seed pod. The seed pod starts off about the size of a pencil eraser, and grows until it becomes fully exposes, about 5 inches in diameter. The large elephant-ear shaped leaves can grow to be two feet wide.
The seeds are edible raw when they are yellow/green. At this point, they are very young and quite sweet. As the plant matures, the pod turns black and the seeds become harder and less sweet. At this stage, they are usually cooked in a fricasse.
As with many Cajun traditions, many of today's Cajun children do not know about graine à voler.
Waterways filled with the plant can be still seen in Bayou Des Allemands and Lake Salvadore, in June and July.
