https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limnocharis_flava
Limnocharis flava (commonly known as yellow velvetleaf, sawah flower rush, sawah lettuce) is a species of aquatic flowering plant which is native to Mexico, Central America, South America, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic but widely naturalized in southern and southeastern Asia: India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and southern China (Guangdong, Yunnan).
Owing to its flat taste, in some areas it is considered "poor people's food" or emergency food, eaten whenever there is not much else left. This characteristic was put into song by Muhammad Arief, in the 1940s hit Genjer-genjer in the Banyuwangi language in Java.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genjer-genjer
Genjer-Genjer (lit. 'Sawah lettuces') is an Osing language folk song from East Java, Indonesia, written and composed by musician Muhammad Arief. The song was written as a description of the condition of the people of Banyuwangi during the Japanese occupation period. The song focuses on the struggle of the peasants, who were forced to eat sawah lettuces – a plant initially considered a pest – to survive.
The song was first recorded during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies in 1942 by Muhammad Arief, arranged for angklung; the Japanese military occupation government used the song as propaganda to encourage Indonesians to live austerely during wartime as crops were diverted to feed soldiers on the frontlines, leading to widespread famine and starvation.[1] The propaganda campaign introduced Indonesians throughout Java to the song.
In the late 1950s and early 60s, Genjer-genjer gained popularity throughout Indonesia, and the country's political left began to take interest in the song. The song's themes of peasant hardship and perseverance resonated with the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) in particular. In the 60s, the song gained more familiarity and popularity with Indonesians as it had air time on television through TVRI and radio through RRI. Well-known musicians also came to record Genjer-Genjer, most notably Bing Slamet and Lilis Suryani.
And finally, here's the recipe
