Cilantro - coriander leaves

Coriandrum sativum

Originally from the Mediterranean and western Asia, coriander is now grown everywhere. It is used as an herb and spice and as a flavoring compound in many dishes.

Fresh leaves are best known as cilantro and are very important in Asian, Latin American and Portuguese cuisine.

Thai cooks also use the long, thin root. In Western cuisine, the fruit or seed is used as a spice; in the Middle East and India, both are present in the kitchen.

Another name for the plant is Chinese parsley.

FLAVOR

Leaves, fruits and unripe seeds have the same aroma.

Some people are addicted to its refreshing, lemony-gingerly aroma, with hints of sage; some hate it and find it soapy and unpleasant.

The taste is delicate but complex, with hints of pepper, mint and lemon.

USED ARE leaves, twigs, root, seeds.

PURCHASE AND STORAGE

Coriander is available in specialty stores and supermarkets, bundles are sold in Asian markets with the roots intact, and you can grow it yourself.

In a plastic bag, in the vegetable compartment, in the refrigerator, it will last 3-4 days. Frozen cilantro retains most of its flavor; chop and freeze in small containers or ice containers with a little water.

USE IN COOKING

Except when used in curries or similar pastes, coriander leaves are always added at the end of cooking; high temperature or long cooking neutralizes its taste.

The leaves are widely used throughout Asia, in soups with a delicate taste, in stir-fried dishes with ginger and spring onions, in curries and stews.

Thai chefs use the root for curry pastes and combine the leaves with basil, mint and chili peppers.

In India, coriander garnishes many spicy dishes and is combined with other herbs and spices in green masala pastes. India and Mexico share a love for coriander with green chili peppers in chutneys, relishes and salsas. Mexicans also combine coriander and chili peppers with garlic and lime juice to make dressings for vegetables, or for sauces in which they cook fish.

In Bolivia and Peru, coriander and chili peppers give flavor to the very strong table sauce huacatay - the Peruvian green sauce.

In the Middle East, cilantro is a must in Yemeni zhug and hilbeh (hot sauce and relish), pungent spiced pastes, and is combined with nuts and spices, lemon juice and olive oil to make concoctions to add flavor.

The Portuguese are the only Europeans who continued to use coriander to the same extent as it was used in the 16th century, combining it with potatoes and beans and with their excellent shellfish.

ESSENTIAL FOR hilbeh, zhug, chermoula, ceviche, guacamole.

GOOD WITH avocado, coconut milk, corn, cucumbers, fish and seafood, legumes, lemon and lime, rice, root vegetables.

COMBINED WELL WITH basil, chili, chives, dill, galangal, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, mint, parsley.