Dictionary

chadon beni en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈʃɑːdɔː(n)ˌbɛni/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈʃɑdɔ(n)ˌbɛni/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from French chardon béni (“blessed thistle”): chardon (“thistle”) (ultimately from Latin carduus (“wild thistle; artichoke”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *kers- (“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”)).

Meanings

1. (Caribbean, uncountable) Culantro (Eryngium foetidum), a tropical herb whose leaves are used medicinally and in Caribbean cuisine.
   • 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. 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:
   • 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. 2009, Ann Vanderhoof, “Curry Tabanca: Trinidad”, in The Spice Necklace: A Food-lover’s Caribbean Adventure, Toronto, Ont.: Doubleday Canada, →ISBN, page 190:
   • 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). 1997, Caricomview: A Monthly Newsletter of the Caricom Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana: Communications Unit, Caricom Secretariat, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 8:
   • The air was spiced with chadon beni and wild thyme, his favourite perfume. 2009, Monique Roffey, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle, New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books, published 2011, →ISBN:
   • 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. 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:
   • 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). 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:
   • 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. 1999, Sarah Cameron, Ben Box, editors, Caribbean Islands Handbook 2000: With the Bahamas, 11th edition, Bath, Somerset: Footprint Handbooks, →ISBN, page 970:
   • 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. 2008 April, Steven Raichlen, “Vegetables: Greens Meet Grill”, in The Barbecue! Bible, New York, N.Y.: Workman Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 404, column 2:
   • Chinese Trinidadian Chicken with Mango Chutney […] [Winnie] Lee Lum finishes the dish with chopped shandon beni leaves, a local herb that tastes like cilantro. 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:
   • 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, “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:

Forms

Synonyms

chuk-chuk · fit-bush · fitweed · shadow-vinnie bush · cat-claw