Coriander
Coriander is an annual herb commonly used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Latin American, Chinese, Southeast Asian cuisines apart from frequent use in Indian cuisine. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the most commonly used in cooking. Coriander belongs to the parsley or carrot family.
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Hindi | धनिया |
| Bengali | Dhoney |
| Gujarati | Kothmir |
| Marathi | धने, कोथिंबीर |
| Tamil | கொய்தமல்லி |
| Telugu | ధణియాలు, కొతిమిర |
The name coriander derives from Latin coriandrum. 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 odor of bedbugs (which we have largely forgotten in this age of insecticides).
Leaves
The leaves are variously referred to as coriander leaves, cilantro (in the United States, from the Spanish name for the plant), dhania (in the Indian subcontinent, and increasingly, in Britain), Chinese parsley or Mexican parsley. The leaves have a very different taste from the seeds, similar to parsley but "juicier" and with citrus-like notes.
The
fresh leaves are an essential ingredient in many chutneys, and is frequently
used for garnishing vegetable, dal and meat preparations. and Mexican
salsas and guacamole. Heat destroys their delicate flavor quickly, so
they should not be cooked.
Coriander leaves were formerly common in European cuisine but nearly disappeared before the modern period. Today Europeans usually eat coriander leaves only in dishes that originated from foreign cuisines.
The fresh coriander herb is best stored in the refrigerator in airtight containers, after chopping off the roots. The leaves do not keep well and should be eaten quickly, as they lose their aroma when dried or frozen.
Seeds
Seeds of Coriander (Dhania) has a lemony citrus flavor when crushed. It is also described as warm, nutty, spicy, and orange-flavoured. They are usually dried but can be eaten green. Ground coriander is a major ingredient in various Masala mixes.
Store
coriander seed in a tightly sealed container away from sunlight and heat.
For maximum flavor use within 6 months and keep for no more than 1 year.
It can be roasted or heated on a dry pan briefly to enhance the aroma
before grinding it in an electric grinder or with a mortar and pestle;
ground coriander seeds lose their flavour quickly in storage and are best
only ground as needed.
Outside of India, coriander seed is an important spice for sausages in Germany and South Africa. In Russia and Central Europe coriander seed is an occasional ingredient in rye bread as an alternative to caraway. Apart from the uses just noted, coriander seeds are rarely used in European cuisine today, though they were more important in former centuries. Coriander seed is also used in Ethiopian and Arabic cooking and is used in certain Belgian-style beers.
