paracress
paracress Lexical Profile
• noun
The pungent edible leaves and flower buds of the tropical herb Acmella oleracea, consumed raw in salads or cooked as a leafy green in Brazilian and Southeast Asian cuisine, noted for producing a distinctive tingling and numbing sensation in the mouth.
"The chef garnished the traditional Amazonian stew with fresh paracress to give the broth a lively, tingling finish."
A tropical flowering herb (Acmella oleracea) in the daisy family Asteraceae, native to Brazil, bearing yellow, cone-shaped, rayless flower heads with dark red centers and cultivated for both culinary use and traditional toothache remedies.
"Because paracress is sensitive to frost, gardeners in temperate climates usually grow it as an annual in warm, sunny beds."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the 19th century as a compound of Pará, a northern Brazilian state where the plant is native and widely used in regional cuisine, and 'cress', due to its pungent, peppery foliage.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.