Coriander or Cilantro, Herb or Spice!

Mon, Apr 19, 2010

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Herbs are some of the best ways to flavor food. Coriander is one that gives a lot of flavor, fragrance, and color and is used in many different types of cuisine. It also has some great health benefits, making it an ideal herb to keep in your kitchen!

Coriander is also known as Chinese parsley and cilantro (mainly in the Americas). The entire coriander plant is edible. It still grows wild in many places making the task of finding where it came from originally difficult to define. It’s believed that coriander originated from the Mediterranean and south western Asian areas of the world.

As for cultivation, coriander has been around in Greece since 2,000BC. During an archeological dig at the Nahal Hemel Cave in Israel (thought to be 8,000 years old), fifteen desiccated mericarps were found. In Egypt, about half a liter of coriander mericarps were found in Tutankhamen’s tomb. This was evidence that coriander was cultivated in Egypt because the plant doesn’t grow wild there. In 1670, American colonies received coriander and it was one of the first herbs grown there by the settlers.

When it comes to health, coriander has been used for many ailments. It helps to relieve anxiety, insomnia, aids in digestion,  and  helps with arthritis. It’s also used to help guard against urinary tract infections, gas, and food poisoning. Chewing coriander leaves also will help with nausea and  vomiting. Diabetics can benefit by eating coriander leaves every day, as it will help lower blood sugar.  Vitamin C, calcium, iron, flavanoids, magnesium and beta-carotene are also found in coriander.

If all of the above wasn’t enough, coriander juice mixed with turmeric is supposed to be an effective remedy for acne, blackheads, and dry skin!

You can find coriander in its various forms in cuisines from places like the Middle East, Asia, India, Mexico, Texas, Africa, and many Latin American countries.  It’s found  in chutneys, salsas,  soups, curries, and for pickling. Roasted  coriander seeds are eaten as a snack. Sometimes in Russian  and  Central European countries, the seeds are used in place of caraway in rye bread. In German and South African  sausages, you will find coriander as well. It’s even been used in the brewing of beer!

This herb and spice is used all over the world, in many different ways. It’s been used as folk remedies and in many recipes. Give this great herb a try in new ways and  remember this when you do:

“Cilantro and coriander do not taste even remotely similar. Cilantro (sometimes called fresh coriander, which seems to be what’s causing the confusion here) has a very unique and pungent taste. It is most often used in savory dishes, Mexican and Asian food. Coriander seed, sold whole or ground, has a mild, sweetish, slightly citrusy taste. It is most often used in baking.” – Chocolatl on Recipezaar

Photo by garthimage

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This post was written by:

Rochelle - who has written 324 posts on Made in Kitchen Blog.


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11 Responses to “Coriander or Cilantro, Herb or Spice!”

  1. Scarlett Morgan Says:

    i love to eat asian foods because they are tasty and spicy.’:.

  2. Personalised Mugs Says:

    of the asian foods that i tastes, japanese foods and thai foods are the tastiest stuff .:~

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  6. Catherine Tisue Says:

    That’s excellent, I never thought about Nostradamus in the OR

  7. Gerald Klint Says:

    I really like asian foods because they are very very tasty. most asian foods are very spicy too and i like them. ‘:;:`

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  8. Harold Postuci Says:

    Most asian foods are tasty specially those fermented foods. :

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