Cilantro has a pleasant aroma, exquisite taste and health benefits. Europe met her in the 15st century AD thanks to the Romans. Only in the 17-19 centuries cilantro came to Australia, America and New Zealand, where it was used in cooking and folk medicine. In Russia, it spread to all provinces by the beginning of the XNUMXth century. Today, cilantro is one of the most common spicy herbs, which is cultivated along with dill, parsley and other familiar leafy greens.
What is cilantro?
Cilantro or cilantro is an annual spicy herb belonging to the Umbelliferae family. Unripe cilantro emits a specific smell, for which the Greeks called it a word that means “bug” in translation. The aroma is due to the presence of decylaldehyde in the leaves. An adult plant, as well as dried greens, completely lose this compound.
The spice is a rather tall herb that can reach a height of up to 70 cm. The leaves of cilantro are bright green, pinnate, dissected into three. The flowering period is in the middle of summer. Small pinkish or pale flowers bloom on the tops of herbaceous stems. By August, seeds ripen in place of the inflorescences – dense ribbed balls of light brown color.
On an industrial scale, several varieties of cilantro are cultivated, which differ in the ripening period, the content of essential oil and vitamin E. Special types of spices have been bred for home cultivation, some of which can be sown in a pot on the windowsill.
Are coriander and cilantro the same thing?
Cilantro and coriander – identifying different parts of the same plant. The herbaceous part, together with the leaves, is called cilantro, and coriander is the name of the seeds. Sometimes the root of the spice is called coriander. An amazing feature of cilantro is that each of its parts has its own aroma and taste.
[Video] What is the difference between cilantro and coriander: