Coriander
Coriandrum sativum
Culinary Uses:
The most common use of coriander seed is in curry powders, where it is
the bulkiest constituent, often rough ground in India to give a crunchy
texture. The seeds can be likewise used in stews and soups. They blend
well with smoked meats and game and feature in traditional English
black pudding recipes and Italian mortadella sausage.
Coriander is used in many tasty indian recipes and is an
ingredient of garam masala, pickling spices and pudding spices and is
used in cakes, breads and other baked foods. Sugared comfits made from
the seeds are a traditional sweetmeat and breath sweetener. Coriander
is a characteristic of Arab cookery, being common with lamb, kid and
meat stuffings. Taklia, a popular Arab spice mixture, is coriander and
garlic crushed and fried. Coriander with cumin is a common combination
and features in falafel and in the Egyptian appetizer dukka, which
consists of those spices plus sesame seeds, hazelnuts, salt and pepper,
roasted and crushed. Coriander goes well with ham and pork, especially
when orange is included. It enhances fish dishes and, with other
spices, may form a delicious coating for spiced fish or chicken, rubbed
into the scored flesh and grilled. Try frying a few seeds with sausages
to add an unusual flavour. Coriander complements chili and is included
in many chili recipes, such as harissa, the hot North African red
pepper sauce. It may be added to cream or cottage cheese.The leaves are
always used fresh. They feature in Spanish, Middle Eastern, Indian,
Oriental and South American cookery. They are sprinkled like parsley on
cooked dishes, minced or puréed in sauces, soups and curries,
especially bhuna. Both seeds and leaves can be used in salads. In
Thailand the root of the coriander plant is used to flavour meats and
curries.
Coriander
is probably native to the Middle East and southern Europe, but has also
been known in Asia and the Orient for millennia. It is found wild in
Egypt and the Sudan, and sometimes in English fields. It is referred to
in the Bible in the books of Exodus and Numbers, where the colour of
‘manna’ is compared to coriander. The seed is now produced in Russia,
India, South America, North Africa — especially Morocco - and in
Holland. It was introduced to Britain by the Romans, who used it in
cookery and medicine, and was widely used in English cookery until the
Renaissance, when the new exotic spices appeared. Among ancient
doctors, coriander was known to Hippocratic, and to Pliny who called it
coriandrum for its ‘buggy’ smell, coris being a bug; or perhaps because the young seed resembles Cimex lectularius, the European bed-bug.
Spice Description:
Coriander
is the seed of a small plant. The seeds are almost spherical, one end
being slightly pointed, the other slightly flattened. There are many
longitudinal ridges. The length of the seed is 3 - 5 mm (1/8” - 3/16”)
and the colour, when dried, is usually brown, but may be green or off
white. The seed is generally sold dried and in this state is apt to
split into halves to reveal two partially hollow hemispheres and
occasionally some internal powdery matter. Coriander is available both
whole and ground. The fresh leaves of the plant are called and are used
as an herb.
Bouquet:
Seeds are sweet and aromatic when ripe. Unripe seeds are said to have
an offensive smell. The leaves have a distinctive fragrance.
Flavour:
The seeds are warm, mild and sweetish. There is a citrus undertone
similar to orange peel. The leaves combine well with many pungent
dishes from India, Mexico and the Middle East.
Preparation and Storage:
Coriander seed is generally used coarsely ground or more finely
powdered, depending on the texture desired. It is best bought whole as,
being brittle, it is easy to mill or pound in a mortar. Ground
coriander is apt to lose its flavour and aroma quickly and should be
stored in an opaque airtight container. Whole seeds keep indefinitely.
Their flavour may be enhanced by a light roasting before use. As
coriander is mild, it is a spice to be used by the handful, rather than
the pinch. The leaves can be chopped or minced before use. They lose
flavour when dried, but may be frozen either blanched or chopped and
frozen into ice cubes.
Attributed Medicinal Properties:
Coriander
seed oil is an aromatic stimulant, a carminative (remedial in
flatulence), an appetizer and a digestant stimulating the stomach and
intestines. It is generally beneficial to the nervous system. Its main
use is in masking foul medicines, especially purgatives, where it has
anti-griping qualities. Coriander cakes were once taken against ‘St.
Anthony’s fire’, or ‘Rose’ a severe streptococcal skin infection called
‘erysipelas”, which caused many deaths before the advent of
antibiotics. In Asia the herb is used against piles, headache and
swellings; the fruit in colic, piles and conjunctivitis; the essential
oil in colic, rheumatism and neuralgia; the seeds as a paste for mouth
ulceration and a poultice for other ulcers.Recent studies have
supported its use as a stomach soother for both adults and colicky
babies. Coriander contains an antioxidant that helps prevent animal
fats from turning rancid. It also contains substances that kill
meat-spoiling bacteria and fungi. These same substances in Cilantro
also prevent infection in wounds. Coriander has been shown to improve
tummy troubles of all kinds, from indigestion to flatulence to
diarrhea. Weak coriander tea may be given to children under age 2 for
colic. It's safe for infants and may relieve their pain and help you
get some much-needed sleep. Cilantro and Coriander contain substances
that kill certain bacteria and fungi, thereby preventing infections
from developing in wounds. Sprinkle some coriander Seed on minor cuts
and scrapes after thoroughly washing the injured area with soap and
water. Intriguing new studies suggest that coriander has
anti-inflammatory effects. Since the pain of arthritis is cause by
inflammation coriander oil may help you.
Plant Description and Cultivation:
A
herbaceous hardy annual, of the parsley family, occasionally surviving
into a second year. Its height averages 60 cm (2 ft). Its erect slender
stems are branching and bright green. The small pink, pale blue or
white flowers are borne in compound umbels. The upper leaves are wispy
and finely divided, the lower ones broad, undivided and trilobate. The
fruits are achenes, crowned with minute calyx.Coriander is grown from
seed. It prefers warm dry conditions. For seed, it is sown in the
spring, needing little maintenance. Harvest in about ninety days as
soon as seeds are ripe and before they drop. An indication of ripeness
is that the seeds’ aroma turns pleasant. For the leaf, the seeds are
sown during the summer.
Other Names:
Chinese Parsley, Cilantro, Dizzycorn, Japanese Parsley
French: coriandre
German: Koriander
Italian: coriandolo
Spanish: cilantro, culantro
Arabic: kizbara
Burmese: nannambin (leaves), nannamzee (seed)
Chinese: hsiang tsai, yen-sui, yuen sai, yuin si tsoi (leaves)
Indian: dhanyia, dhuniah, kothimbir, kotimear, kotimli (seed)
dhania patta, dhania sabz, hara dhania (leaf)
Indonesian: ketumbar
Lao: phak hom pom
Malay: daun ketumba(r) (leaves), ketumba(r) (seed)
Sinhalese: kottamalli (seed), kottamalli kolle (leaves)
Tamil: kothamilee
Thai: pak chee (met)
Food That Goes Well With Coriander
Coriander is an excellent addition to all dishes cooked with pork. Tou can find some excellent and very tasty examples over at pork chop recipes .
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