Wiktionary

chadon beni

English

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WOTD – 22 May 2021

Etymology

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Culantro (Eryngium foetidum), which is known as chadon beni in parts of the Caribbean.
 
Chadon beni leaves (bottom) on a dish together with bean sprouts and a wedge of lemon, served as a condiment with Vietnamese food.

Borrowed from French chardon béni (“blessed thistle”): chardon (“thistle”) (ultimately from Latin carduus (“wild thistle; artichoke”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *kars- (“to rub, scrape, scratch”)) + béni (past participle of bénir (“to bless”), ultimately from Late Latin benedīcō (“to bless, praise”), from bene (“well”) and dīcō (“speak”)).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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chadon beni (uncountable)

  1. (Caribbean) Culantro (Eryngium foetidum), a tropical herb whose leaves are used medicinally and in Caribbean cuisine.
    Synonyms: (Saint Kitts) cat-claw, (Dominica) chuk-chuk, (Jamaica, Saint Kitts) fit-bush, (Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago) fitweed, (Saint Vincent) shadow-vinnie bush, (Trinidad) [Term?]
    • 1997, Caricomview: A Monthly Newsletter of the Caricom Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana: Communications Unit, Caricom Secretariat, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 8:
      The people of Trinidad and Tobago also love their shark and bake which they spice with a sauce made from chadon beni (one of the most versatile herbs that is used to spice meats or make a flavoured pepper sauce).
    • 1999, Sarah Cameron, Ben Box, editors, Caribbean Islands Handbook 2000: With the Bahamas, 11th edition, Bath, Somerset: Footprint Handbooks, →ISBN, page 970:
      If you go to Maracas Bay, have shark-and-bake, a spicy fried bread sandwich of fried shark with a variety of sauces such as tamarind, garlic, chadon beni.
    • 2005, Lynn Marie Houston, “Major Foods and Ingredients”, in Ken Albala, editor, Food Culture in the Caribbean (Food Culture around the World), Westport, Conn., London: Greenwood Press, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 35:
      This herb is referred to as false cilantro because it resembles and is related to cilantro. It is also known as recao, long coriander, saw-tooth coriander, culantro, or shadow beni.
    • 2006 March, “Technical Cooperation Results – 2005”, in The Contribution of IICA to the Development of Agriculture and Rural Communities in Trinidad and Tobago: Annual Report 2005, Port of Spain, Trinidad: IICA [Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture] Office in Trinidad & Tobago, section 5.5 (Developing Human Capital), page 16, column 2:
      Over the 10 week period the students were guided in the development of investment profiles for producing 6 products and or commodities: dehydrated hot peppers; dasheen leaves; pasteurized milk (using small scale equipment); sweet corn; Chadon Beni; and Red tilapia.
    • 2008 April, Steven Raichlen, “Vegetables: Greens Meet Grill”, in The Barbeque! Bible, New York, N.Y.: Workman Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 404, column 2:
      Grilled corn with shadon beni butter […] Inspired by a popular Trinidadian herb, I've come up with a more interesting topping: shadon beni butter. […] But don't despair if you can't find shadon beni: cilantro makes an equally delicious butter. By the way, you can use shadon beni butter as a great topping for other simply grilled vegetables and seafood.
    • 2009, Monique Roffey, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle‎[1], New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books, published 2011, →ISBN:
      The air was spiced with chadon beni and wild thyme, his favourite perfume.
    • 2009, Ann Vanderhoof, “Curry Tabanca: Trinidad”, in The Spice Necklace: A Food-lover’s Caribbean Adventure, Toronto, Ont.: Doubleday Canada, →ISBN, page 190:
      Every week I buy my herbs—cive (as it's spelled here) and thyme (sold separately), parsley and chadon beni (a close relative of cilantro)[sic – meaning culantro]—from the same Rastafarian farmer, who always welcomes me, though this market swims with shoppers, and commerce generally gets in the way of idle chat.
    • 2010, “Eating and Drinking Well in Trinidad and Tobago”, in Douglas Stallings, Eric Wechter, editors, Fodor’s Trinidad & Tobago, New York, N.Y.: Fodor’s Travel, →ISBN:
      This thick sultry stew [callaloo] is simmered from okra, chili peppers, coconut milk, chadon bene, garlic, onion, crab, tubers (including dasheen, whose leaves, resembling a slightly bitter spinach, are also called callaloo), and sometimes various meats.
    • 2010, Grace Young, “Poultry and Egg Recipes”, in Stir Frying to the Sky’s Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery with Authentic Recipes and Stories, New York, N.Y., London: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 116, column 1:
      Chinese Trinidadian Chicken with Mango Chutney […] [Winnie] Lee Lum finishes the dish with chopped shandon beni leaves, a local herb that tastes like cilantro.
    • 2011, John Cavazos, Ann Marie Cavazos, “Main Courses and Cooked Sides”, in The Daniel Fast Made Delicious, Lake Mary, Fla.: Siloam, →ISBN, section I (Healthy Eating on the Daniel Fast), page 35:
      Shado beni is similar to cilantro but has a stronger flavor. Look for it in ethnic grocery stores that feature Hispanic or West Indian foods. If not found, it is not a problem—just substitute with cilantro (add a little extra cilantro if you want the stronger flavor you would have gotten with the shado beni).

Alternative forms

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Translations

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Further reading

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