This is one of those rare occasions when I will admit to making a mistake.

After further research, I found out that the sinister spice that seems to be in every single Thai dish is not parsley, but is in fact cilantro, more commonly known as coriander. It is, however, still part of the parsley family and is also known as Chinese parsley and Mexican parsley.

Cilantro apparently prevents Salmonella bacteria from manifesting itself in one’s food. That still does not score cilantro brownie points in my book.