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The herb, Coriandrum sativum, gives us two distinctly different flavors for the kitchen. The lacy foliage is "cilantro", a parsley-like garnish with a distinctive, fresh fragrance that is indispensable in Mexican and Southeast Asian salads, soups, and meat dishes. The dried seeds are "coriander", a pleasantly aromatic spice that is much used in European and Middle Eastern stews, sausages, sweet breads and cakes. Coriander is a delicately branched annual that reaches a height of 2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) with a spread of 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m). It often becomes top heavy and falls over, sprawling along the ground and sending up branches like so many new plants. The lower leaves of coriander are lobed, about 1-2 in (2.5-5.1 cm) across, and look a little like Italian parsley (Petroselinum crispum). The upper leaves are finely dissected into linear segments and almost fernlike. The white or pink flowers are tiny and borne in numerous compound umbels (flat-topped clusters in which the flower stems arise from a single point). The flower clusters are only about 1-2 (2.5-5.1 cm) across, but are so abundant that the whole plant is quite showy. The seeds are contained in spherical yellowish brown pods that are ribbed and rough textured, and about an eighth inch in diameter.
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Pick cilantro leaves as you need them, even if the plant is only 6 in (15.2 cm) tall. Cilantro almost always is used fresh, but it can be frozen for use later in the summer when the plants have died. Cilantro is used extensively in Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, North African and Latin American cuisine. Use whole sprigs as a garnish or mince and add to salads, soups, sauces and relishes. Cilantro goes well with fish and especially well with beans. Harvest coriander for the seeds when the plants turn brown. Immature seeds are bitter. Cut whole plants and hang to dry. Then, shake the dried fruits into a paper bag and rub them between your hands to wear off the pods. Store in an airtight jar. Coriander is used as an aromatic spice in Chinese, Indian, and European cooking. It is used in chutneys, curries, marinades and in sausages. Coriander is often ground into a powder (use a pepper mill) to flavor sweet breads, cakes and confectioneries.
Coriander seeds are used in perfumery and pharmacologically to disguise the taste of medicines, and to flavor gin and liqueurs. They sometimes are coated with sugar and served as "sugar drops" or "comfits." It is said that large quantities of coriander seed produce a narcotic effect. In Thailand the roots are grated and used as a condiment. Members of an aboriginal tribe in Peru are said to consume so much cilantro that they exude the odor of the plant. The flowers of coriander are attractive to many kinds of beneficial insects and the foliage is eaten by the caterpillars of swallowtail butterflies. For the etymologically inclined, we feel compelled to report that the name, "coriander", is derived from the Greek for "bed-bug", because the smell of the fresh foliage is said to resemble that of bug infested bed linens. (The mature seeds do not retain this smell.) Steve Christman 5/7/00; updated 11/17/03
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