Featured Ingredient - Mauritius

Coriander (Cilantro)

Information about Coriander (cilantro)

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The Coriander plant yields both a herb and a spice

The fresh  leaves, also  known as Cilantro,   look like Parsley, but whilst it does belong to the parsley family "Apiaceae", the taste and smell is altogether much more pungent and to many Western palates an "acquired" taste. 

The ripened seeds on the other hand, have a warm aromatic and nutty character  and are a constituent of many spice mixes including curry powder.

Although it originated in the East, probably Asia Minor, it has been cultivated in the Mediterranean region since the Ancient Egyptian times and has been grown and used  in Europe since the  middle ages.

Both the leaves and the fruit (seeds) are  common ingredients in many Eastern and African cuisines, including Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Chinese, Mauritian, Arabic and other North African countries. It is also popular in many Latin American countries.

It should be remembered, that the seeds, whether whole or ground, have a completely different taste to the leaves and it is therefore not advisable to substitute one for the other if the authentic flavour of the recipe is to be preserved.

You will find  recipes using this herb on both the  Mauritius Cooking by Country main page and in other sections of this web site. Use the search facility to find them all.

Happy cooking!

Cooking by Country - Mauritius