Hom Pom (หอมป้อม)

[Kanga Japan]

HOM POM seems to refer to PHAK CHI (ผักช) (Coriandrum sativum) in northern Thai dialect, however it also appears on quite a few sites as being the following:

1. PHAK CHI FARANG (ผักชีฝรั่ง) - Eryngium foetidum - long leaf/sawtooth coriander.

2. Carum carvi - caraway

Could anyone confirm which of the above is correct, or could HOM POM have multiple meanings?

Thank you for your help.

[AyG]

First let's consider PHAK CHI (coriander/cilantro). From http://library.cmu.ac.th/ntic/lannafood/detail_ingredient.php?id_ingredient=103 :

ผักชี

PHAK CHI

ชื่ออื่น

Other Names

หอมป้อม ผักป้อม (ภาคเหนือ) (รัตนา พรหมพิชัย, 2542, 7531) ผักหอมน้อย (ภาคอีสาน) ผักหอม (นครพนม) (กรมส่งเสริมการเกษตร, 2550)

HOM POM, PHAK POM (Northern dialect) (Ratnaa Brahmaphichay 2542, 7531); PHAK HOM NOY (Isaan dialect), PHAK HOM (Nakhon Phanom dialect) (Department of Agricultural Extension, 2050)

Now consider ผักชีฝรั่ง, which has various meanings, including parsley and sawtooth coriander. However, the following is for the latter herb:

ผักชีฝรั่ง

PHAK CHI FARANG

ชื่ออื่น

Other Names

ผักจีฝรั่ง หอมป้อมกุลา หอมป้อมกูลวา ห้อมป้อมเป้อ ผักจีดอย (ภาคเหนือ) (รัตนา พรหมพิชัย, 2542, 7531) แมะและเด๊าะ (กะเหรี่ยง-แม่ฮ่องสอน) (กัญจนา ดีวิเศษ และคณะ, 2542, 129)

PHAK CHI* FARANG, HOM POM GULA, HOM POM GULAWA, HOM POM PAO, PAK CHI DOY (Northern dialect) (Ratnaa Brahmaphichay 2542, 7531); MELEDO (Karen-Mae Hong Son) (Kanchana Diwiset et al., 2542, 129)

Source: http://library.cmu.ac.th/ntic/lannafood/detail_ingredient.php?id_ingredient=91

So it appears HOM POM only refers to PHAK CHI FARANG when accompanied by a modifier. GULA = irregular star-shaped (male) kite; GULAWA = ; boastful. Plain PHAK CHI is coriander.

Caraway I would ignore. To the best of my knowledge it's not used in Thai cuisine.

* Jor Jaan, rather than Chor Chaang.

** Searching the Internet for กูลวา produces references to a place called Goolwa in South Australia. It's unlikely this is the meaning of กูลวา in the plant name. It might be a dialect word, possibly a local variant of GULA.

[Pla shado]

Mrs. Pla shado confirms Ayg's assessment. Hom pom (หอมป้อม) is dialect meaning the same as phak chi (ผักชี) = cilantro. The term is also used in parts of Isaan as well as north Thailand. At our house, ผักชีฝรั่ง (phak chi farang) is parsley.

[Kanga Japan]

Dear AyG,

Thank you for all the research you have done, including going to the trouble of transliterating/transcribing the script for me.

Dear Pla shado (and wife),

Thank you both also for that local information.

Considering all the information you all have given me, I must assume the following:

1. OTHER NAMES FOR - PHAK CHI

a. HOM POM (Isaan as well as Northern dialect)

b. PHAK POM (Northern dialect)

c. PHAK HOM NOY (Isaan dialect)

d. PHAK HOM (Nakhon Phanom dialect)

2. OTHER NAMES FOR - PHAK CHI FARANG

a. PHAK CHI FARANG (written both as ผักจีฝรั่ง and ผักชีฝรั่ง) - considering Mrs. Pla shado's knowledge, as a local

b. HOM POM GULA (Northern dialect?)

c. HOM POM GULAWA (Northern dialect?)

d. HOM POM PAO (Northern dialect?)

e. PAK CHI DOY (Northern dialect)

f. MELEDO (Karen-Mae Hong Son)

3. PHAK CHI FARANG (ผักชีฝรั่ง)

Can mean both sawtooth coriander and parsley.

I have seen PHAK CHI FARANG referred to as 'parsley' a few times, however I always thought that it was a mistranslation. Does this mean the common long thick stringy parsley with leaves, that is used in western countries?

Thank you all so much for your help. I hope my understanding of your information is correct.

I will also forget about using 'caraway', as AyG suggests.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Kanga Japan

[AyG]

ผักจีฝรั่ง หอมป้อมกุลา หอมป้อมกูลวา ห้อมป้อมเป้อ ผักจีดอย (ภาคเหนือ)

PHAK CHI* FARANG, HOM POM GULA, HOM POM GULAWA, HOM POM PAO, PAK CHI DOY (Northern dialect)

As I read it, all are Northern dialect. It would be good to have that confirmed by a native speaker, though.

PHAK CHI FARANG most definitely can mean parsley - not a mistake. It's usually applied to the curly leafed kind, though I've occasionally seen it applied to the (much rarer) flat-leafed Italian kind. Parsley is surprisingly common in Japanese restaurants and restaurants serving European/American food. There's often a pointless small sprig to be left on the side of the plate when the dish is finished.

[Kanga Japan]

Dear AyG,

Thank you for that quick response.

I will make a new post to see if anyone can confirm that these are indeed Northern dialects, although I assume that they are.

Interesting information about the parsley, considering that, although it is commonly sold here in Japan, it is not normally used in typical Japanese cuisine. The only use of it in 'Japanese cuisine' that I can think of is as a pickle, although that is not really a standard Japanese pickle. More common vegetables used as a pickle (tsukemono) would be the daikon and eggplant.

Again, thank you so much for the considerable help you have provided me on this most confusing (one of many) subject.

[Pla shado]

PHAK CHI FARANG (ผักชีฝรั่ง)

Can mean both sawtooth coriander and parsley.

I have seen PHAK CHI FARANG referred to as 'parsley' a few times, however I always thought that it was a mistranslation. Does this mean the common long thick stringy parsley with leaves, that is used in western countries?

In general usage, I think phak chi farang (ผักชีฝรั่ง) may refer to the sawtooth coriander more often than not. That is because the sawtooth coriander is a much more common ingredient than is parsley. As AyG noted, parsley is being more commonly used in Thailand (often as a garnish) and it is quite often refered to as "parsley" by native Thais. As a loan word, "parsley" has become fairly normal.

As a side note: Last week we bought fresh flatleaf parsley at the Royal Project Shop in Udon Thani. It was labled "parsley" in both Thai and English script. It is the common flatleaf parsley that is used in western countries. It's only in the past year or so that we've been able to find reasonably priced fresh flatleaf parsley.

Transliterated, I belive พาร์สลี่ย์ = parsley.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Pla shado

[Kanga Japan]

Dear Pla shado,

Thank you for that information and for the Thai script for 'parsley'.

I already have a few names/scripts which I understand mean parsley:

phasli (พาร์สลีย์) - common parsley

plasali (พลาสลี่) - common parsley

thian yao waphani (เทียนเยาวภาน) - garden parsley

phak chi farang yang baen (ผักชีฝรั่งอย่างแบน) - flat parsley

phak chi farang yang yik (ผักชีฝรั่งอย่างหยิก) - curled parsley

Again, thanks for your help.

[AyG]

See notes.

Dear Pla shado,

Thank you for that information and for the Thai script for 'parsley'.

I already have a few names/scripts which I understand mean parsley:

phasli (พาร์สลีย์) - common parsley There's no SL in Thai, so this must be PHA SA LI.

plasali (พลาสลี่) - common parsley I don't believe this one. Can't understand why the lor ling is inserted in what is obviously a loan word from English. Probably a mistake by the author(s).

thian yao waphani (เทียนเยาวภาน) - garden parsley Thai is wrong (missing final vowel). Should be เทียนเยาวภานี. It appears to be a seed (Google image search). Far from convinced it's parsley.

phak chi farang yang baen (ผักชีฝรั่งอย่างแบน) - flat parsley

phak chi farang yang yik (ผักชีฝรั่งอย่างหยิก) - curled parsley

Again, thanks for your help.

[Kanga Japan]

Dear AyG,

Thanks for looking at that for me. I will remove 2 and 3.

Much appreciated.

[Richard W]

b. HOM POM GULA (Northern dialect?)

c. HOM POM GULAWA (Northern dialect?)

d. HOM POM PAO (Northern dialect?)

HOM POM KU LWA and HOM POM POE are confirmed as Northern Thai for Eryngium foetidum by the Maefahluang Northern Thai-Thai Dictionary. LWA may simplify to LA as a Siamicisation.

Just to confuse matters, it records HOM POM DOI (transliteration หอมป้อมดอย) as Pogostemon menthoides - but that's a mint-like plant!

กุลวา (also กูลวา) also means '(unwelcome) outsider' in Northern Thai - แขก is given as a synonym.

[Kanga Japan]

Dear Richard W,

My apologies for the delay in replying.

Thank you for that additional information and confirmation.

Apparently Pogostemon menthoides is a Chinese mint, known in Thailand (I am not sure whether or not it is used in cooking though). It is also used as an ingredient in a nasal congestion product. There are quite a few species in the Pogostemon genus. I may leave that one out. I don't think that there is even an English name for this plant.

Thanks again.

Any 'useful' or 'helpful' comments are always appreciated, if you know what I mean.