Golpar substitute

Best substitute

Ground celery seed

Use ¾ tsp ground celery seed for every 1 tsp golpar

Best for baghala pokhteh

Close match

The closest single-spice swap is ground celery seed: use 3/4 teaspoon of it for every teaspoon of golpar. Better still is a small mix, 2 parts ground celery seed to 1 part ground caraway to 1 part sumac, used measure for measure, which gets you the resinous bitterness, the warm depth and the sour brightness all at once. If you have neither, ground coriander seed with a scant pinch of fenugreek is a fair approximation. What golpar contributes is aroma plus a controlled bitterness, and nothing else. It is not hot, it is not salty and it adds no body, which is why it is sprinkled on rather than cooked in: over hot broad beans, over pomegranate seeds, apples and unripe fruit, and into torshi and shoor pickles. Substitutes need to be dry, aromatic and slightly bitter, and used in the same tiny quantities.

Other golpar substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Celery seed with caraway and sumac
Close match
2 parts ground celery seed : 1 part ground caraway : 1 part sumac, used 1:1 for the golpar
The best approximation available anywhere, because it splits golpar's three characteristics between three spices instead of asking one to do all of it.
What changes
Best for
baghala pokhteh, pomegranate, fruit platters, pickles, roast vegetables
Celery seed carries the resinous bitterness, caraway adds the warm anise-ish depth, sumac supplies the sour brightness that makes golpar so good scattered over fruit. Mix a couple of tablespoons and keep it in a jar. Not identical, but it does the same work at the table.
3Ground coriander seed with a pinch of fenugreek
Different taste
Use ¾ tsp ground coriander + a scant ⅛ tsp ground fenugreek for every 1 tsp golpar
A workable swap built from two very common spices, where coriander provides the citrusy resin and fenugreek the bitterness.
What changes
Best for
broad beans, stews, pickles, vegetable dishes
Distinctly sweeter and less musty than golpar, and the fenugreek can turn medicinal fast, so measure that eighth of a teaspoon rather than guessing. Better in cooked dishes than sprinkled raw over fruit, where its sweetness sits oddly.
4Angelica seed or root powder
Close match
Use the same amount
Sold as golpar in some shops and used interchangeably by plenty of cooks, with a similar resinous bitterness even though the two plants are not the same.
What changes
Best for
baghala pokhteh, pickles, fruit, when a herbalist shop is nearby
A little more piney and medicinal than golpar and slightly less musty. The practical catch is availability: true angelica powder is a herbalist or specialist item rather than a supermarket one, so if you can find it you can probably find golpar too. Never gather either plant yourself, for reasons in the tips below.
5Sumac on its own
Different taste
Use 1 tsp sumac for every 1 tsp golpar
The wrong flavour but the right role, which matters more than it sounds in the dishes golpar is actually used in.
What changes
Best for
broad beans, pomegranate, fruit, salads, grilled vegetables
Tart, fruity and astringent with none of golpar's bitterness or musk. Hot fava beans with sumac and salt are delicious, they just do not taste Iranian. This is the swap to reach for if you already keep sumac and do not want to buy anything.
6Salt and lemon, the honest minimum
Different taste
A good pinch of flaky salt and a squeeze of lemon in place of the golpar
Included because it is the truth: there is no real substitute for golpar, and the mixes above approximate its direction rather than its identity.
What changes
Best for
baghala pokhteh, fresh fruit, steamed beans
Salt and acid do most of what golpar does in the eating: they make beans and fruit taste more of themselves and more appetising. What you lose is the specific musty, resinous perfume that makes a plate of steamed broad beans taste Iranian rather than simply well-seasoned. If you cook this way often, a small bag from an Iranian grocer is cheap and lasts a year.

What is Golpar?

Golpar is Golpar, also written gol par and often sold in English as angelica powder, is a Persian spice ground from the dried seed of Heracleum persicum, Persian hogweed, and it smells resinous and faintly musty, somewhere between celery seed, caraway and cumin with a bitter edge.

Cooking tips

Use a pinch, not a spoonful. Golpar is bitter and dominates anything it is over-applied to, and a quarter to half a teaspoon is plenty for a plate of broad beans for four. This is the single most common mistake with it.
It is a finishing spice, sprinkled raw over food at the table, not bloomed in oil with the onions. Heat flattens the aroma and pushes the bitterness forward, so add it off the heat.
The classic uses are savoury over sweet or sour: golpar with salt over pomegranate seeds, sliced apple, plums and unripe grapes, and traditionally with hot steamed fava beans in the pod, which is what baghala pokhteh is.
Buy the whole dried seeds if your shop has them and grind them as you need them. Pre-ground golpar loses its aroma within a few months and ends up tasting mostly bitter, which is how it gets its unfair reputation.
Never forage this plant. Golpar comes from a hogweed, and its relatives in the carrot family include giant hogweed, whose sap causes severe blistering burns in sunlight, and water hemlock, which is deadly poisonous. Buy it from an Iranian grocer or online.
In torshi and shoor, golpar is a flavouring only. If you are making pickles to keep rather than to eat within a few days, follow a tested recipe exactly and never reduce or dilute its vinegar or salt to make room for spices, since the acidity is what makes the jar safe. The USDA's National Center for Home Food Preservation publishes tested recipes.

Frequently asked questions

What does golpar taste like?

Aromatic and bitter rather than hot. The nearest comparisons are celery seed and caraway, with something resinous and faintly musty behind them and a slightly fruity top note. It is a background perfume in small amounts and unpleasantly bitter in large ones, which is why it is measured in pinches.

Is golpar the same as angelica?

No, although it is constantly sold as angelica powder in English. Golpar is ground Heracleum persicum, Persian hogweed, while angelica is a different plant in the same broad family. They taste similar enough that many cooks use them interchangeably and you will not ruin a dish by doing so, but they are not botanically the same thing, and it is worth knowing if you are reading labels.

Can I leave golpar out?

Yes, in almost every dish it appears in. Steamed broad beans with salt, butter and a squeeze of lemon are excellent without it, and pickles do not need it to work. What you lose is the specific aroma that makes the dish taste Persian rather than generically good. It is a seasoning, never a structural ingredient, so nothing will fail.

How much golpar should I use?

Start with a quarter of a teaspoon for four servings and add more only after tasting. It is far more assertive than its mild smell in the jar suggests, and because the flavour is partly bitter, over-adding cannot be corrected by adding anything else. Sprinkle, taste, sprinkle again.

Where do I buy golpar?

Iranian and Afghan groceries almost always carry it, usually in small bags labelled golpar or gol par and sometimes as angelica powder, near the sumac and dried herbs. It is also easy to order online. A small bag is inexpensive and, kept sealed in a dark cupboard, will last you a year of occasional use.

Related substitutes

More spices & herbs substitutes

Golpar substitute

Other golpar substitutes

2Celery seed with caraway and sumac

3Ground coriander seed with a pinch of fenugreek

4Angelica seed or root powder

5Sumac on its own

6Salt and lemon, the honest minimum