9osbor قصبر
Algerian Darja · noun
“9osbor” (قصبر) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning coriander (fresh herb).
Meanings
- coriander (fresh herb)
Usage
Qosbor is the usual name for coriander in Algeria, especially fresh coriander sold in bunches at the market. It goes into many dishes: chorba, tajines, salads, sauces. You usually say "rbayet qosbor" for a bunch of coriander. Do not confuse it with parsley, maadnous, which is often bought together with it. The informal phrase rouh bi3 qosbor, literally "go sell coriander", is said to someone you consider incompetent. It amounts to advising them to change jobs.
Example
جيبلي ربطة قصبر و معدنوس من السوق
jibli rabtet 9osbor w ma3dnous mel souq
“Bring me a bunch of coriander and parsley from the market.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9osbor” but also “qosbor”, “kosbor”, “9osber” and “kousbour”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.