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For other uses, see Coriander (disambiguation).
"Cilantro" redirects here. It is not to be confused with the related herb Eryngium foetidum, also known as "culantro" or "Mexican coriander".
"Chinese parsley" redirects here. Chinese parsley may also refer to the unrelated herb Heliotropium curassavicum.
Coriander or Cilantro
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Coriandrum
Species: C. sativum
Binomial name
Coriandrum sativum
Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 95 kJ (23 kcal)
3.67 g
Sugars 0.87
Dietary fiber 2.8 g
0.52 g
2.13 g
Vitamin A equiv.
337 μg
3930 μg
865 μg
Thiamine (B1)
0.067 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
0.162 mg
Niacin (B3)
1.114 mg
0.57 mg
Vitamin B6
0.149 mg
Folate (B9)
62 μg
Vitamin C
27 mg
Vitamin E
2.5 mg
Vitamin K
310 μg
67 mg
1.77 mg
26 mg
0.426 mg
48 mg
521 mg
46 mg
0.5 mg
Other constituents
Water 92.21 g

Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Coriander (UK /ˌkɒrɪˈændə/;[1] US /ˈkɔːriˌændər/ or /ˌkɔːriˈændər/;[2] Coriandrum sativum), also known as cilantro (/sɪˈlɑːntr/),[3] Chinese parsley or dhania,[4] is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae.

Coriander is native to regions spanning from southern Europe and northern Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft plant growing to 50 cm (20 in) 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 (5–6 mm or 0.20–0.24 in) than those pointing toward it (only 1–3 mm or 0.039–0.118 in long). The fruit is a globular, dry schizocarp 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) in diameter. The seeds are generally used as a spice or an added ingredient in other foods or recipes, although sometimes they are eaten alone.


First attested in English late fourteenth century, the word coriander derives from the Old French: coriandre, which comes from Latin: coriandrum,[5] in turn from Ancient Greek: κορίαννον koriannon.[6][7] The earliest attested form of the word is the Mycenaean Greek 𐀒𐀪𐀊𐀅𐀙 ko-ri-ja-da-na[8] written in Linear B syllabic script, (reconstructed as koriadnon), (similar to the name of Minos's daughter Ariadne) which later evolved to koriannon or koriandron.[9]

Cilantro is the Spanish word for coriander, also deriving from coriandrum. It is the common term in North American English for coriander leaves, due to their extensive use in Mexican cuisine.


Coriander plants

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."[10] Fifteen desiccated mericarps were found in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B level of the Nahal Hemar Cave in Israel, which may be the oldest archaeological find of coriander. About half a litre 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.[10]


Coriander was brought to the British colonies in North America in 1670, and was one of the first spices cultivated by early settlers.[12]


All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most traditionally used in cooking. Coriander is common in South Asian, Southeast Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, Caucasian, Central Asian, Mediterranean, Tex-Mex, Latin American, Brazilian, Portuguese, Chinese and African cuisines.[13]


Coriander leaves

The leaves are variously referred to as coriander leaves, fresh coriander, dhania, Chinese parsley, or (in the U.S. and commercially in Canada) cilantro.

It should not be confused with culantro (Eryngium foetidum L.), an apiaceae like coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) but in a different genus. Culantro has a distinctly different spiny appearance, a more potent volatile leaf oil[14] and a stronger aroma.

The leaves have a different taste from the seeds, with citrus overtones. However, some people experience an unpleasant soapy taste or a rank smell and avoid the leaves.[15]

The fresh leaves are an ingredient in many South Asian foods (such as chutneys and salads); in Chinese and Thai dishes; in Mexican cooking, particularly in salsa and guacamole and as a garnish; and in salads in Russia and other CIS countries. Chopped coriander leaves are a garnish on Indian dishes such as dal. 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.[16] The leaves spoil quickly when removed from the plant, and lose their aroma when dried or frozen.


Dried coriander fruits, often called coriander seeds when used as a spice
Coriander roots

The dry fruits are known as coriander seeds. In Indian and Pakistani cuisines they are called dhania.[17][18]


The variety C. s. vulgare has a fruit diameter of 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in), while var. microcarpum fruits have a diameter of 1.5–3 mm (0.059–0.118 in). 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 of around 0.4-1.8%, so are highly valued as a raw material for the preparation of essential oil.[19]

It is commonly found both as whole dried seeds and in ground 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 ,acting as a thickener in a mixture called dhana jeera.[20]

Roasted coriander seeds, called dhana dal, are eaten as a snack. They are the main ingredient of the two south Indian dishes: sambhar and rasam.

Outside of Asia, coriander seed is used widely in the process for 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 bread (e.g. borodinsky bread), as an alternative to caraway.

The Zuni people have adapted it into their cuisine, mixing the powdered seeds ground with chile and using it as a condiment with meat, and eating leaves as a salad.[21]



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

Flowering coriander for aphid control in lettuce[edit]

In the Salinas Valley of California, aphids have been one of the worst pest in the lettuce fields, and the USDA Cooperative Extension Service has been investigating organic methods for aphid control, and experimented with coriander plants and alyssum plants when intercropped with the lettuce and allowed to flower, attracts beneficial insects like Hoverflies. The Hoverflies lay their eggs and their larvae eat the aphids, up to 150 aphids per day before they mature into flying adults.[22]


The nutritional profile of coriander seeds is different from the fresh stems or leaves. Leaves are particularly rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K, with moderate content of dietary minerals (table above). Although seeds generally have lower content of vitamins, they do provide significant amounts of dietary fiber, calcium, selenium, iron, magnesium and manganese.[23]

Taste and smell[edit]

Flowers of Coriandrum sativum

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 taste and smell, characterizing it as soapy or rotten.[15][24] Twin studies have shown that 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.[25] 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, while simultaneously may also be unable to detect the aromatic chemicals that others find pleasant.[26] Association between its taste and several other genes, including a bitter-taste receptor, have also been found.[27]

Similar plants[edit]



Coriander can produce an allergic reaction in some people.[29][30][31]


  1. ^ "British: Coriander". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Retrieved 25 September 2014. 
  2. ^ "American: Coriander". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Retrieved 25 September 2014. 
  3. ^ "American: Cilantro". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Retrieved 25 September 2014. 
  4. ^ "dhania". Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. 
  5. ^ Charlton T. Lewis. "coriandrum". A Latin Dictionary. 
  6. ^ Henry George Liddell; Robert Scott. "κορίαννον". A Greek-English Lexicon. 
  7. ^ "Coriander", Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989. Oxford University Press.
  10. ^ a b Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, Domestication of plants in the Old World, third edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), pp. 205–206
  11. ^ Fragiska, M. (2005). "Wild and Cultivated Vegetables, Herbs and Spices in Greek Antiquity". Environmental Archaeology 10 (1): 73–82. doi:10.1179/146141005790083858. 
  12. ^ Aggarwal, Bharat B.; Kunnumakkara, Ajaikumar B. (2009). Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Uses of Spices: Modern Uses for Ancient Medicine. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing. p. 150. ISBN 978-981-283-790-5. 
  14. ^ Ramcharan, C. (1999). J. Janick, ed. "Perspectives on new crops and new uses - Chapter: Culantro: A much utilized, little understood herb". ASHS Press: 506–509. 
  15. ^ a b McGee, Harold (13 April 2010). "Cilantro Haters, It’s Not Your Fault". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 July 2012. Some people may be genetically predisposed to dislike cilantro, according to often-cited studies by Charles J. Wysocki of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. 
  16. ^ Gernot Katzer. "Coriander Seeds and Cilantro Herb". Spice Pages. 
  17. ^ "coriander". 
  18. ^ "Dhania". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005.  (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  19. ^ Bruce Smallfield (June 1993). "Coriander - Coriandrum sativum". Archived from the original on 4 April 2004. 
  20. ^ "Dhana Jeera Powder - Also Known As Cumin and Coriander Blend or Dhanajiru Powder". My Spice Sage. Retrieved 2016-01-14. 
  22. ^ "Effective Intercropping for Biological Control of Aphids in Transplanted Organic Lettuce"
  23. ^ "Nutritional Data, coriander seed, per 100 g". Conde Nast. Retrieved 2013-08-10. 
  25. ^ Ewen Callaway (12 September 2012). "Soapy taste of coriander linked to genetic variants". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2012.11398. 
  26. ^ Josh Kurz (26 December 2008). "Getting To The Root Of The Great Cilantro Divide". NPR. 
  28. ^ a b c Tucker, A.O.; DeBaggio, T. (1992). "Cilantro Around The World". Herb Conpanion 4 (4): 36–41. 
  29. ^ Ebo, DG; Bridts, CH; Mertens, MH; Stevens, WJ (2006). "Coriander anaphylaxis in a spice grinder with undetected occupational allergy". Acta clinica Belgica 61 (3): 152–6. doi:10.1179/acb.2006.025. PMID 16881566. INIST:17926832. 
  30. ^ Suhonen, Raimo; Keskinen, Helena; Björkstén, Fred; Vaheri, Eero; Zitting, Antti (2007). "Allergy to Coriander a Case Report". Allergy 34 (5): 327–30. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.1979.tb04374.x. PMID 546248. 
  31. ^ "Food Allergy - Coriander Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments and Causes". 1 February 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2012. 

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]