Cilantro

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Name Variations

 * Chinese parsley
 * coriander leaf
 * culantrillo
 * koyendoro
 * Mexican parsley
 * pak chee
 * yuen-sai
 * green coriander
 * coriander green
 * coriander
 * hara dhania / dhaniya

About Coriander
Wikipedia Article About Coriander on Wikipedia

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), also commonly called cilantro or Chinese parsley, is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. It has an extremely pungent flavor akin to a combination of lemon, sage and caraway.

Coriander is native to southwestern Asia west to north Africa. It is a soft, hairless, foetid plant growing to 50 cm tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the flowering stems. The flowers are borne in small umbels, white or very pale pink, asymmetrical, with the petals pointing away from the centre of the umbel longer (5–6 mm) than those pointing to the middle of the umbel (only 1–3 mm long). The fruit is a globular dry schizocarp 3–5 mm diameter.

The name coriander derives from Latin coriandrum, which was first noted by Pliny. The Latin word derives in turn from Greek corys, a bedbug, plus -ander, "resembling", and refers to the supposed similarity of the scent of the crushed leaves to the distinctive odour of bedbugs (largely forgotten in this age of insecticides).

Coriander is the most commonly used herb in the world, from Mexico to India to China to Southeast Asia.

Cooking Cilantro
Cilantro’s fresh flavor complements hot foods. This makes it great in spicy Asian, Latin American, and Caribbean dishes. Just toss with lime, onions, and tomatoes for a quick pico de gallo.