Heracleum persicum
Encyclopedia
Heracleum persicum, commonly known as Golpar or Persian Hogweed, is a flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

 in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Apiaceae
Apiaceae
The Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...

, native to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

. It grows wild in humid mountainous regions in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

, as well in some adjacent areas.
Having been introduced in the 1830s, it is now very common in northern Norway, where it is known as the Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...

 palm
.
The plant has also been spotted in Jönköping
Jönköping
-Notable people:*Lillian Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor*John Bauer, illustrator, painter*Amy Diamond, singer*Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA*Carl Henrik Fredriksson, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Eurozine*Anders Gustafsson, kayaker, Olympian...

, Sweden.

Food uses

The seeds are used as a spice in Persian cooking. The very thin, small seedpods are aromatic and slightly bitter. They are usually sold in powdered form and are often erroneously sold as "Angelica Seeds." The powder is sprinkled over broad bean
Vicia faba
This article refers to the Broad Bean plant. For Broadbean the company, see Broadbean, Inc.Vicia faba, the Broad Bean, Fava Bean, Field Bean, Bell Bean or Tic Bean, is a species of bean native to north Africa and southwest Asia, and extensively cultivated elsewhere. A variety is provisionally...

s, lentil
Lentil
The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...

s and other legumes and on potatoes. Golpar is also used in soups and stews. It is often used sprinkled over pomegranate
Pomegranate
The pomegranate , Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters tall.Native to the area of modern day Iran, the pomegranate has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. From there it spread to Asian areas such as the Caucasus as...

 seeds. Golpar is also mixed with vinegar into which lettuce leaves are dipped before eating.

Golpar can be used in small amounts (1 or 2 tsp per pound) when cooking beans to reduce the effect of gas in the digestive tract associated with consuming beans.

In Persian cuisine
Iranian cuisine
Iranian cuisine is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, culinary traditions and styles distinct to its region.It includes a wide variety of foods ranging from chelo kabab , khoresht Iranian cuisine is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, culinary traditions and styles distinct to...

, the petals are used in the spice mixture advieh
Advieh
Advieh or adwiya is a spice mixture used in Persian cuisine. It is used in rice dishes, as well as in chicken and bean dishes. Although its specific composition varies from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, common ingredients include cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, rose petals or rose buds,...

to flavor rice dishes, as well as in chicken and bean dishes.

The tender leaves and leaf stalks are also pickled (known as golpar toraei).

See also

  • Heracleum, the genus
  • Other Europe invasive species Heracleum mantegazzianum and Heracleum sosnowskyi
    Heracleum sosnowskyi
    Heracleum sosnowskyi or Sosnowsky's Hogweed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, originally native to Caucasus. Now it is a common weed in the Baltic States, Belarus, Russia....

  • Native Europe hog weeds Heracleum sphondylium and Heracleum sibiricum (Heracleum sphondylium subsp. sibiricum)
  • Species that can be mistaken for tall invasive hogweeds Wild Parsnip, Garden Angelica, Wild Angelica

External links

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