Racao

In cleaning up my garden after the recent frosts, I found an herb that I had planted and forgotten about until I noticed how it , like the sage, oregano, and thyme, was doing fine. The tag said "Racao" and a little research called it either long coriander or culantro, but I doesn't look like the latter.

I think it may go into pho broth. Anybody know?

Suggested uses?

Very strong case to not plant your herbs while you're drunk!

What the heck is "Racao", anyway?

Can you smoke it? I mean. like, in a bong?

Recao (with an "e") should be culantro. When International Foods was open here on Pulaski, their culantro was labeled as recao. Why don't you give a smell and a taste?

Rats.

I was hoping it was something i could smoke.

I'll look for it at Whole Foods.

Mike

Racao, recao, long coriander, thorny coriander, Mexican coriander, ngo gai, and culantro are all apparently the same herb.
The taste and smell is similar to cilantro, but maybe more concentrated.
The larger leaves on the bottom look like cilantro. The top part of the plant right now has smaller clusters of narrow serrated leaves around small buds. On first glance you think about drying it for the next time you feel nausea.
Some Honduran fellow workers immediately identified the plant as culantro used in salsa, marinades, and soups. Apparently popular in Puerto Rico as racao, it is used as cilantro and in sofrito. Vietnamese food supposedly uses lots of ngo gai especially as a staple in the broth of pho. Upon reflection I remember the now defunct Tay Do in Glendale Heights served a large plate of ngo gai along with other greens to be added to their terrific "hot pot."

MLS wrote:Racao, recao, long coriander, thorny coriander, Mexican coriander, ngo gai, and culantro are all apparently the same herb.

Eryngium foetidum has scores of names, also including bhandhania (Hindi), phakchi farang (Thai), hom-pomkula (Thai), ci yuan sui (Chinese), mui tau (Vietnamese), ngo tau (Vietnamese), shado beni (Trinidadian), cilantro cimarron (Cuban), chardon etoile fetide (French), panicaut fetide (French), coulante (Haitian), sawtooth coriander, spiny coriander, black benny, spiritweed and saw-leaf herb.