Chenopodium album, also known as lamb's quarters, melde, goosefoot, manure weed, and fat-hen, is a fast-growing weedy annual plant that is native to most of Europe and is widely introduced in other areas such as North America and Africa. While considered a weed in some regions, it is extensively cultivated and consumed in Northern India as a food crop. The leaves and young shoots of this plant, which is known as bathua in Hindi, are used in dishes such as soups, curries, and paratha-stuffed breads, especially popular in Punjab. Its seeds or grains are popular in gruel-type dishes in Himachal Pradesh, also used in mildly alcoholic fermented beverages such as soora and ghanti. The plant is high in protein, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. Additionally, it is used as feed for chickens and other poultry and has been found mixed with conventional grains in archaeological sites. The plant is vulnerable to leaf miners, making it a useful trap crop as a companion plant. However, it can be a robust and competitive weed that can cause crop losses in conventional crops, but can be controlled through various methods.
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