Coriander (;coriander
in the Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary ''Coriandrum sativum'') is an annual

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

in the family Apiaceae. It is also known as Chinese parsley, dhania, or cilantro ().cilantro
in the Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds (which are both a

and a spice) are the parts most traditionally used in cooking. Most people perceive coriander as having a tart, lemon/lime taste, but to nearly a quarter of those surveyed, the leaves taste like dish soap, linked to a gene that detects some specific aldehydes that can produce soapy sensation from the odorant substances.

Botanical description

Coriander is native to regions spanning from Southern Europe and Northern Africa to

Southwestern Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...

. It is a soft plant growing to 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 center of the umbel longer () than those pointing toward it (only long). The fruit is a globular, dry schizocarp in diameter. Pollen size is approximately .

Etymology

First attested in English during the late 14th century, the word "coriander" derives from the Old French , which comes from Latin , in turn from Ancient Greek ''koríannon'' (or ''koríandron''), possibly derived from or related to ''kóris'' (a bed bug), and was given on account of its foetid, bed bug-like smell. The earliest attested form of the word is the Mycenaean Greek (variants: , , ) written in

Linear B Linear B was a syllabic script used for writing in Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek. The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries. The oldest Mycenaean writing dates to about 1400 BC. It is descended from ...

syllabic script (reconstructed as ', similar to the name of

Minos In Greek mythology, Minos (; grc-gre, Μίνως, ) was a King of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. Every nine years, he made King Aegeus pick seven young boys and seven young girls to be sent to Daedalus's creation, the labyrinth, to be eaten ...

' daughter Ariadne) which later evolved to ''koriannon'' or ''koriandron'', and ''Koriander'' ( German). ' is the Spanish word for coriander, also deriving from ''coriandrum''. It is the common term in

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...

for coriander leaves, due to their extensive use in

Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and M ...

Origin and history

Coriander grows wild over a wide area of Western Asia and Southern Europe, prompting the comment: "It is hard to define exactly where this plant is wild and where it only recently established itself." Recent works suggested that coriander accessions found in the wild in Israel and Portugal might represent the ancestor of the cultivated coriander. Article number 138. They have low germination rates and a small vegetative appearance. The accession found in Israel has an extremely hard fruit coat. Fifteen desiccated

mericarp A schizocarp is a dry fruit that, when mature, splits up into mericarps. There are different definitions: * Any dry fruit composed of multiple carpels that separate. : Under this definition the mericarps can contain one or more seeds (the m ...

s were found in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B level (six to eight thousand years ago) of the Nahal Hemar Cave, published in Kislev 1988, and eleven from ~8,000–7,500 years ago in

Pre-Pottery Neolithic C The Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) represents the early Neolithic in the Levantine and upper Mesopotamian region of the Fertile Crescent, dating to years ago, (10000 – 6500 BCE).Richard, Suzanne ''Near Eastern archaeology'' Eisenbrauns ...

in Atlit-Yam, published as Kislev ''et al.'' 2004, both in Israel. If these finds do belong to these archaeological layers they are the oldest find of coriander in the world. About of coriander mericarps were recovered from the tomb of Tutankhamen, and because this plant does not grow wild in Egypt, Zohary and Hopf interpret this find as proof that coriander was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. The Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian text dated to around 1550 BC, mentioned uses of coriander. Coriander seems to have been cultivated in Greece since at least the second millennium BC. One of the

tablets recovered from

Pylos Pylos (, ; el, Πύλος), historically also known as Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is th ...

refers to the species as being cultivated for the manufacture of perfumes; it apparently was used in two forms - as a spice for its seeds and as an 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 Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

could point to cultivation of the species at that time. Later, coriander was mentioned by Hippocrates (around 400 BC), as well as Dioscorides (65 AD).

Uses

The fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most commonly used in cooking, but all parts of the plant are edible and the roots are an important element of Thai cooking. Coriander is used in cuisines throughout the world.

Leaves

The leaves are variously referred to as coriander leaves, fresh coriander, Chinese parsley, or (in the US and commercially in Canada) cilantro. The fresh leaves are an ingredient in many foods, such as chutneys and salads, salsa, guacamole, and as a widely used garnish for soup, fish, and meat. As heat diminishes their flavour, coriander leaves are often used raw or added to the dish immediately before serving. In Indian and Central Asian recipes, coriander leaves are used in large amounts and cooked until the flavour diminishes. The leaves spoil quickly when removed from the plant, and lose their aroma when dried or frozen. The taste of the leaves and the seeds are distinct. The seeds exhibit citrus overtones.The dominant flavorants in the leaves are the aldehydes

2-decenal 2-Decenal (dec-2-enal) is an organic compound with the chemical formula of Carbon, C10Hydrogen, H18Oxygen, O. It exists as a pair of cis-trans isomerism, ''cis'' and ''trans'' isomers, (2''E'')-2-decenal and (2''Z'')-2-decenal. It is an oily, clea ...

and 2-dodecenal. The main flavorant in the seeds is (+)-linalool.

Seeds

The dry fruits are coriander seeds. The word "coriander" in food preparation may refer solely to these seeds (as a spice), rather than to the plant. The seeds have a lemony citrus flavour when crushed, due to terpenes linalool and pinene. It is described as warm, nutty, spicy, and orange-flavoured. The variety ''C. sativum'' var''. sativum'' has a fruit diameter of , while var. ''microcarpum'' fruits have a diameter of , and var. ''indicum'' has elongated fruits. Large-fruited types are grown mainly by tropical and subtropical countries, e.g. Morocco, India, and Australia, and contain a low volatile oil content (0.1-0.4%). They are used extensively for grinding and blending purposes in the spice trade. Types with smaller fruit are produced in temperate regions and usually have a volatile oil content around 0.4-1.8%, so are highly valued as a raw material for the preparation of essential oil. Coriander is commonly found both as whole dried seeds and in

ground Ground may refer to: Geology * Land, the surface of the Earth not covered by water * Soil, a mixture of clay, sand and organic matter present on the surface of the Earth Electricity * Ground (electricity), the reference point in an electrical c ...

form. Roasting or heating the seeds in a dry pan heightens the flavour, aroma, and pungency. Ground coriander seed loses flavour quickly in storage and is best ground fresh. Coriander seed is a spice in '' garam masala'' and Indian curries, which often employ the ground fruits in generous amounts together with

cumin Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a

pickling vegetables. In Germany and South Africa (see '' boerewors''), the seeds are used while making sausages. In Russia and Central Europe, coriander seed is an occasional ingredient in

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

bread (e.g. Borodinsky bread), as an alternative to caraway. The

Zuni people The Zuni ( zun, A:shiwi; formerly spelled ''Zuñi'') are Native American Pueblo peoples native to the Zuni River valley. The Zuni are a Federally recognized tribe and most live in the Pueblo of Zuni on the Zuni River, a tributary of the Lit ...

of North America have adapted it into their cuisine, mixing the powdered seeds ground with chili and using it as a condiment with meat, and eating leaves as a salad. Onion Corriander Paratha

Coriander seeds are used in brewing certain styles of beer, particularly some Belgian

wheat beers Wheat beer is a top-fermenting, top-fermented beer which is brewing, brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley. The two main varieties are German ''Weizenbier'' and Belgian ''witbier''; other types include L ...

. The coriander seeds are used with orange peel to add a citrus character. Coriander seeds are one of the key botanicals used to flavor

gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink that derives its flavour from juniper berries (''Juniperus communis''). Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe, particularly in southern Italy, Flanders and the Ne ...

. One preliminary study showed coriander

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

to inhibit Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including ''Staphylococcus aureus'', ''Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,'' and ''Escherichia coli''. Coriander is listed as one of the original ingredients in the

secret formula Trade secrets are a type of intellectual property that includes formulas, practices, processes, designs, instruments, patterns, or compilations of information that have inherent economic value because they are not generally known or readily as ...

for Coca-Cola.

Roots

Coriander roots have a deeper, more intense flavor than the leaves, and are used in a variety of Asian cuisines, especially in Thai dishes such as soups or curry pastes.

Nutrition

Raw coriander leaves are 92% water, 4% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and less than 1% fat (table). The nutritional profile of coriander seeds is different from the fresh stems or leaves. In a reference amount, leaves are particularly rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K, with moderate content of dietary minerals (table). Although seeds generally have lower vitamin content, they do provide significant amounts of

dietary fiber Dietary fiber (in British English fibre) or roughage is the portion of plant-derived food that cannot be completely broken down by human digestive enzymes. Dietary fibers are diverse in chemical composition, and can be grouped generally by the ...

, calcium, selenium, iron, magnesium, and manganese.

Taste and smell

The essential oil from coriander leaves and seeds contains mixed polyphenols and terpenes, including linalool as the major constituent accounting for the aroma and flavor of coriander. Different people may perceive the taste of coriander leaves differently. Those who enjoy it say it has a refreshing, lemony or lime-like flavor, while those who dislike it have a strong aversion to its pungent taste and smell, characterizing it as soapy or rotten. Studies also show variations in preference among different ethnic groups: 21% of East Asians, 17% of Caucasians, and 14% of people of African descent expressed a dislike for coriander, but among the groups where coriander is popular in their cuisine, only 7% of South Asians, 4% of Hispanics, and 3% of Middle Eastern subjects expressed a dislike. About 80% of identical twins shared the same preference for the herb, but fraternal twins agreed only about half the time, strongly suggesting a genetic component to the preference. In a genetic survey of nearly 30,000 people, two genetic variants linked to perception of coriander have been found, the most common of which is a gene involved in sensing smells. The gene '' OR6A2'' lies within a cluster of olfactory-receptor genes, and encodes a receptor that is highly sensitive to aldehyde chemicals. Flavor chemists have found that the coriander aroma is created by a half-dozen or so substances, and most of these are aldehydes. Those who dislike the taste are sensitive to the offending unsaturated aldehydes and at the same time may be unable to detect the aromatic chemicals that others find pleasant. Association between its taste and several other genes, including a bitter-taste receptor, have also been found.

Allergy

Some people are allergic to coriander leaves or seeds, having symptoms similar to those of other food allergies. In one study examining people suspected of food allergies to spices, 32% of pin-prick tests in children and 23% in adults were positive for coriander and other members of the family Apiaceae, including caraway, fennel, and celery. The allergic symptoms may be minor or life-threatening.

Similar plants

Other herbs are used where they grow in much the same way as coriander leaves. * '' Eryngium foetidum'' has a similar, but more intense, taste. Known as culantro and as Ngo Gai, it is found in Mexico, South America, the Caribbean, and South East Asia. * ''

Persicaria odorata ''Persicaria odorata'', with common names Vietnamese coriander, rau răm, laksa leaf, Vietnamese cilantro, phak phai, praew leaf, hot mint and Cambodian mint, is an herb with aromatic leaves, used in Southeast Asian and Northeast Indian cooking. ...

'' is commonly called Vietnamese coriander, or ''rau răm''. The leaves have a similar odour and flavour to coriander. It is a member of the Polygonaceae, or buckwheat family. * ''Papaloquelite'' is one common name for ''

Porophyllum ruderale ''Porophyllum ruderale'' is an herbaceous annual plant whose leaves can be used for seasoning food. The taste has been described as "somewhere between arugula, cilantro and rue". The plant is commonly grown in Mexico and South America for use in ...

'' subsp. ''macrocephalum'', a member of the Asteraceae, the sunflower family. This species is found growing wild from Texas to Argentina.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Edible Apiaceae Herbs Indian spices Medicinal plants Plants described in 1753 Plants used in Native American cuisine Spices Apioideae