Forgotten Gardens: Chaya and Ancient Greens for Modern Tables

Forgotten Gardens: Chaya, Ancient Greens for Modern Tables by Hennie Fisher and Richard Hay is a culinary exploration of chaya, or Mayan tree spinach which is a fast-growing, drought-resistant Central American shrub prized as one of the most nutrient-dense leaf crops on Earth. Born out of a collaboration at the University of Pretoria's Future Africa Institute, the book introduces this underutilised "tree of life" to South African kitchens as a proof-of-concept for reviving forgotten and orphan crops in the face of global agrobiodiversity loss and modern malnutrition.

The recipes were developed and tested by final-year Culinary Arts students working alongside the authors. There are various recipes for snacks, starters, mains, sides, baked goods and drinks that reimagine familiar dishes with chaya replacing traditional greens like spinach. Each recipe is paired with cultural and historical context tracing the dish's origins. Grounded in scientific literature on chaya's nutritional profile and gastro-botanical research methodology, the book bridges academic rigour with practical, everyday cooking, positioning chaya as a resilient, high-potential crop for food security and dietary diversity in South Africa and beyond.