You might wonder why some cookbooks call for coriander in recipes and others ask for cilantro. Perhaps you are unsure why there are signs in the supermarket saying both cilantro and coriander. Are these two items the same thing? What is coriander and what is cilantro?

The herb cilantro is an herb that is quite versatile and is actually part of the carrot family. You can use it either fresh or dried and it has a very tasty flavor along the line of citrus. The spice, coriander, actually comes from the coriander plant and they are harvested and then dried to be used later. The leaves and stems of the plant are what are known as the herb cilantro.

For many years, cilantro has been used for cooking and baking; in fact, even the ancient Egyptians used it. There are Egyptian writings that mention coriander seeds and the seeds have also been found in ancient Egyptian tombs as well.

There are some stores that actually have what is called Mexican parsley and you will notice it looks like cilantro. This is actually the same herb and cilantro, Mexican parsley, and coriander seeds all come for the coriander plant. In Mexico, cilantro is an herb that is quite versatile within Mexican cooking and is often used much as parsley is in America cuisine.

Cilantro can be found in nearly any supermarket and will be in the produce section. You buy it in a bunch. You can tell the difference between parsley and cilantro by looking at the leaves and smelling it. Cilantro has a stronger, more pungent small and the leaves are wider than parsley leaves.

The herb, cilantro, is used in many sauces, salsas, tasty dips, and in dressings as well. Even some Chinese recipes call for Chinese parsley, which is the very same herb as cilantro.

If you buy cilantro and bring it home, you should rinse it and shake off the excess water, then put it in a glass of water with just the stems below the water. Cover the leaves with a plastic bag. This is much better than drying the cilantro because it preserves the flavor and it will keep for about a week. If you live somewhere very hot, you can store the cilantro on the top shelf of the refrigerator.

Once you are ready to use the cilantro, you will want to use a pestle or a mortar to crush the leaves, which then helps to release the wonderful flavor of the cilantro. When you want to use the herb for cooking, make sure that you add it to the dish at the very end, since cilantro has a very delicate nature that does not do well with heat.