Lucinda Frye
Diverse and indigenous cuisine brought by the many ethnic people to St. Maarten from all over the world piques our interest. To this end, we are on a quest to find where it comes from, if it is used for celebrations, if it is exotic to some but normal food to others. Anything to do with keeping the body and soul nourished with what is produced from good old terra firma is what makes the world go around.
Cilantro, Culantro, Coriander – are these three herbs the same plant?
Many years ago, I popped into a friend’s house (we went through junior and high school together) to have tea and found her and her sister-in-law in the kitchen, which was not at all surprising as these friends used to cook up a storm for us all. On this particular day, the sister-in-law introduced me to something I did not know – Cilantro!!! (They went on to open a restaurant and they co-wrote cookbooks that became very popular.)
The kitchen was new, bright-white with touches of blue and yellow and on the counter, catching a sunny ray coming through the window, was a large green plant in a pot of soil. A funny smell pervaded the air, an aroma that was very like smelly old stinking socks. Sister-in-law had lived in Australia for many years. Catching me eyeing this refreshing herb with a bright verdant character, she lovingly brushed her hand over it sending more waves of odd smelling aromas and said, “I love cilantro, don’t you?” I admitted I did not even know the plant. I promptly went to the nursery and bought one when I left my friends. It died on me, even before I had a chance to try to use the leaves. In those days, there was no internet so I had to find time to go to the library to look up what I could do with this funny smelling plant.
Switch to some 20 years later and we are on St. Maarten and the leaves of this plant are everywhere as it is much enjoyed with spicy food. As an ingredient in many curry-type dishes, the leaves bring out the flavour, we could not have a curry without adding the stalks, well washed roots and of course the leaves. Yes, the entire plant is eaten.
Coriander, known as Chinese parsley, is an annual herb. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most traditionally used in cooking.
Cilantro and Coriander look a great deal alike and even smell a bit alike, these two plants are in fact distant cousins. (They have a similar flavour to Culantro.)
Cilantro and Coriander are named differently in different parts of the world. In North America, cilantro refers to the leaves and stalks of the plant. The word “cilantro” is the Spanish name for coriander leaves. The dried seeds of the plant are called Coriander!
Elsewhere in the world, Coriander is the name for the leaves and stalks of the plant! The dried seeds are also called Coriander seeds.
Cilantro has a fragrant, refreshing and citrusy taste and aroma; coriander has a warmer, spicy and nutty taste and aroma.
I had a chance to visit Dominica where I learnt about a similar smelling plant with much broader leaves, Culantro.
Culantro – known as Chadon Beni on English-speaking Caribbean islands and Mexican Coriander elsewhere – is used extensively in the cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago. Native to Mexico, South and Central America, it is grown in Hawaii, Cambodia, Vietnam and Mexico year-round in these hot climates.
It is used to make recaito or sofrito in Puerto Rican cuisine, and occasionally in the making of sushi. Chadon Beni is intense and potent in flavour, use it judiciously. I have a plant which has not died off in five years, as long as I pinch out the stems with seeds growing on it. This is a plant that can be grown in either sun or shade. Here in the Caribbean, it is very easy to place in the garden.
Some folk simply cannot eat any of these leaves.
There is a large group of people who just can’t take the taste of soap – or as some folk say, mouldy shoes, when they eat it. The reason apparently is partly genetic.
Researching these plants, I came across the following: “Cilantro is high in aldehydes, a volatile compound that delivers pungent flavours to our noses, and one particular gene in our DNA is responsible for interpreting those aldehydes into a flavour and aroma. And just like gene variation determines our eye and hair colour, variation in our OR6A2 gene is linked to how we taste aldehydes in food. The bad news is that for people with this cilantro-hating gene, there’s nothing to be done to improve the situation.
The good news is it’s not your fault, and if anyone gives you flack for being a picky eater, well, your DNA profile is too large to whip out and show them – rest assured that you have science on your side.”
Tips for cooking:
Cilantro and Coriander cannot be used interchangeably.
The refreshing taste of Cilantro leaves makes it perfect to use as a garnish in South American, Mexican, South Asian, Chinese and Thai dishes.
Add fresh Cilantro just before serving, heat can quickly reduce its flavour.
Coriander seeds have a warmer, spicier taste and are used in dishes that have a spicy kick.
Culantro is an ingredient in the “green seasoning” from Trinidad and Tobago. It is a must-have condiment with “bake and shark.” It's often added to beans and rice recipes: when fresh Culantro is used to flavour meats, seafood, vegetables and fresh fruit salsas. When steeped into a tea, it soothes symptoms of colds and flu; it can ease an upset stomach. It may lower high blood pressure; its anti-inflammatory properties can alleviate asthma symptoms. The properties help fight pain from bruises, ear-aches, and toothaches because it's an anti-inflammatory. It was used to treat seizures in centuries past.
When substituting Culantro for Cilantro, use less of the broad leaves.
Cilantro Dishes
Salsa
Guacamole
Chutney
Acorda (Portuguese bread soup)
Soups
Coriander Dishes
Curries
Rice dishes
Soups and stews
Meat rubs
Pickled vegetables
Borodinsky bread: A sourdough rye bread of Russian origin
Dhana dal: Roasted and crushed coriander seeds, a popular Indian snack
Dry roasting or heating coriander seeds can enhance their taste and aroma. However, ground or powdered seeds lose their flavour quickly, so they’re best enjoyed fresh.
RECIPES
In the recipes, we refer to the leaves and stalks as Cilantro and the seeds as Coriander and the broad leaf as Culantro.
Cilantro Chutney
Ingredients
1 large bunch cilantro, washed and roughly chopped
6 scallions, coarsely chopped
2 hot green chili peppers, roughly chopped
1 tsp sugar
2 TBL peeled, chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Method
Place all ingredients - except olive oil - in a blender
Blend, slowly drizzling in olive oil, until smooth
Chimichurri with Pineapple and Cilantro (a salsa that is great over any meat)
For a change, grill the pineapple before adding to the dish.
Ingredients
1 cup chopped pineapple
2 TBL red onion, minced
2 handfuls cilantro leaves
2 TBL lime juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch salt and pepper
Method
Place cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper in a blender.
Pulse until well combined.
Remove to a bowl.
Toss with pineapple and red onion.
Sofrito – Make a big batch and freeze in ice cubes, use as needed (1 cube = 1 TLB).
Sometimes, sofrito is made without the tomatoes – these are added when using in a recipe.
Ingredients
5 green peppers seeded and chopped
2 red peppers seeded and chopped
4 cubanelle peppers seeded and chopped
12 seasoning peppers seeded and chopped
5 cups Spanish onions chopped
1 cup garlic chopped
1 bunch culantro chopped
1 bunch cilantro chopped
Method
Whizz everything together (perhaps you need to do this in 2 batches).
Season to taste with salt.
Transfer to containers and store in refrigerator for up to three days, or freeze.
Carrot, Lime Hummus with Coriander Seed
Ground and added to dishes for its nutty flavours, this pate makes excellent use of the seed.
Ingredients
750g carrots, topped and tailed, skin on and chopped into similar size chunks
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBL tahini paste
2 TBL lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
To serve
Toasted sourdough (artisanal) bread
Pomegranate seeds
Coriander seed, toasted and lightly crushed with a pestle and mortar
Coriander leaf
Method
Pre-heat oven to 350 °F.
Toss carrots with 1 TBL olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt - roast 40-45 minutes.
Cool then process.
Add 2 TBL water, garlic, olive oil, tahini, lime juice, cumin, coriander, ½ teaspoon salt.
Whizz until really smooth (add a little more water if needed).
Chill and serve topped with pomegranate seeds and toasted, lightly crushed coriander seed.
