   #copyright

Coriander

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Food and agriculture;
Plants

                  iCoriander
           Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Plantae
   Division: Magnoliophyta
   Class:    Magnoliopsida
   Order:    Apiales
   Family:   Apiaceae
   Genus:    Coriandrum
   Species:  C. sativum

                                Binomial name

   Coriandrum sativum
   L.
       Coriander leaves, raw
   Nutritional value per 100 g
      Energy 20 kcal   100 kJ

   Carbohydrates         4 g
   - Dietary fibre  3 g
   Fat                   0.5 g
   Protein               2 g
   Vitamin A  337 μg     37%
   Vitamin C  27 mg      45%
   Percentages are relative to US
   recommendations for adults.

   Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), also commonly called cilantro in North
   America, is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. 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), in turn from Greek “κοριανδρον”.

Uses

   All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried
   seeds are the most commonly used in cooking. Coriander is commonly used
   in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, South Asian, Latin American, Chinese,
   African and Southeast Asian cuisine.

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 overtones. Some
   people instead perceive an unpleasant "soapy" taste and/or a rank
   smell. This taste is believed to be a genetic trait, but has yet to be
   fully researched.
   Coriander foliage
   Enlarge
   Coriander foliage

   The fresh leaves are an essential ingredient in many Vietnamese foods,
   Asian chutneys and Mexican salsas and guacamole. Chopped coriander
   leaves are also used as a garnish on cooked dishes such as dal and many
   curries. As heat diminishes their flavour quickly, coriander leaves are
   often used raw or added to the dish right before serving. (Though in
   some Indian and Central Asian recipes, coriander leaves are used in
   huge amounts and cooked till they dissolve into sauce and their flavour
   mellows. )

   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,
   except in Portugal, where it is still an essential ingredient in many
   traditional dishes.

   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.

   Dried coriander fruits
   Enlarge
   Dried coriander fruits

Fruit

   The dry fruits are known as coriander seeds. In some regions, the use
   of the word coriander in food preparation always refers to these seeds
   (as a spice), rather than to the plant itself. The seeds have a lemony
   citrus flavour when crushed, due to the presence of the terpenes
   linalool and pinene. It is also described as warm, nutty, spicy, and
   orange-flavoured. They are usually dried but can be eaten green.

   If the spice is bought (or picked -- it can be grown in a home garden)
   whole in a non-dried form, it can be dried in the sun. Most commonly,
   it is bought as whole dried seeds, but can also be purchased in ground
   form. When grinding at home, 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. For optimum
   flavour, whole coriander seed should be used within six months, or
   stored for no more than a year in a tightly sealed container away from
   sunlight and heat.

   Coriander seed is a key spice (Hindi name: धनिया dhania) in garam
   masala and Indian curries, which often employ the ground fruits in
   generous amounts together with cumin. It also acts as a thickener.
   Roasted coriander seeds, called dhana dal, are also eaten as a snack.
   It is also the main ingredient of the two south indian gravies: sambhar
   and rasam.

   Outside of Asia, coriander seed is an important spice for sausages in
   Germany and South Africa (see boerewors). 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 seeds are also used in brewing certain styles of beer,
   particularly some Belgian wheat beers. The coriander seeds are
   typically used in conjunction with orange peel to add a citrus
   character to these styles of beer.

Roots

   Coriander roots
   Enlarge
   Coriander roots

   Coriander roots are used in a variety of oriental cuisine. They are
   commonly used in Thai dishes.

Medicinal uses

   Coriander has been used as a folk medicine for the relief of anxiety
   and insomnia in Iranian folk medicine. Experiments in mice support its
   use as an anxiolytic.

   Coriander essential oil showed a delay in E. Coli growth, suggesting
   possible agricultural anti-bacterial applications.

   Coriander seeds have also been used to prepare a traditional diuretic
   in India . The diuretic is prepared by boiling equal amounts of
   coriander seeds and cumin seeds. The extract is then cooled and
   consumed as a diuretic.

History

   It is believed to have originated in the Mediterranean area, and in
   southwest Europe. Some believe its use began as far back as 5,000 BC,
   and there is evidence of its use by the ancient Egyptians. In the
   Bible, Exodus, chapter 16, verse 31, it says "And the house of Israel
   called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white;
   and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey".

   Thought to have been introduced to Britain by the Romans as a meat
   preserver, coriander seems to have been cultivated in Greece since at
   least the second millennium BC. In Linear B tablets, the species is
   referred to as being cultivated for the manufacture of perfumes, and it
   appears that it was used in two forms: as a spice for its seeds and as
   a herb for the flavour of its leaves. This appears to be confirmed by
   archaeological evidence from the same period: the large quantities of
   the species retrieved from an Early Bronze Age layer at Sitagroi in
   Macedonia could point to cultivation of the species at that time
   (Fragiska, 2005).

   Coriander seed and leaf was very widely used in medieval European
   cuisine, due to its ability to make spoiled meats palatable by
   "masking" rotten flavours. Even today, coriander seed is an important
   ingredient in many sausage products.

   Coriander was brought to the British colonies in North America in 1670
   and was one of the first spices cultivated by early settlers.

Similar plants

     * Eryngium foetidum has a very similar taste to coriander and is also
       known as culantro.
     * Vietnamese coriander leaves have a similar odour and flavour to
       coriander.
     * Bolivian Coriander, or quillquiña, has been described as "somewhere
       between arugula, cilantro and rue".

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriander"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
