Cilantro

[Aliantha]

Today I learned that cilantro is coriander.

I just thought I'd share that with you.

[Juniper]

Blech. Tastes like soap to me. Anybody else? Or am I weird? I don't like salsa that has cilantro in it.

[ferret88]

Originally Posted by Juniper

Blech. Tastes like soap to me. Anybody else? Or am I weird? I don't like salsa that has cilantro in it.

Agreed. Living her in New Mexico, many of the "Mexican" restaurants tend to OVERuse cilantro.

It is blech.

[Aliantha]

I like it. Can't do Thai cooking without it. But it's good for lots of other dishes as well.

[Sundae]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Thank you!
And Juniper - good lord, I thought it was only me.

I'm baffled by how many up-market sandwich makers have a hard-on for it.
Proper naan bread has a very slightly soapy aftertaste, which I assume must have a link to coriander somewhere along the line, but I've grown to like that.

[classicman]

I love cilantro. Salsa without it is not really salsa. Its great in so many dishes, but has to be used sparingly - it is rather potent.

[Pooka]

Originally Posted by classicman

I love cilantro. Salsa without it is not really salsa. Its great in so many dishes, but has to be used sparingly - it is rather potent.

I agree with the need for salsa to contain cilantro, though I disagree with the "sparingly". I used to sell my salsa and I always used an entire bunch or two in every batch... stems and all. I puree the stems along with all other ingredients to make the base and use the nice leaves whole and mix in slightly chunky ingrediants to make a wonderful salsa. I've always felt it was the secret trick that made my salsa so much better despite the fact that I use all the same ingredients... more or less.

[Shawnee123]

I thought it was only me, too. I can't stand cilantro. There is a mexican restaurant here that is great except they can't seem to not load cilantro into everything. I'm glad it's not just my weird taste.

[Chocolatl]

Thank you for posting this!
My husband and I tried making a recipe the other day that called for "fresh coriander" and were absolutely baffled because all we could find were the coriander seeds.
Now the mystery is solved.

[Undertoad]

I have the same experience S123. And yet coriander seeds in Indian dishes = awesome.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Cilantro is readily available on the east coast, because it's popular for masking the smell of pot, being trucked across the country.

[Shawnee123]

Did I mention I LOVE cilantro?

[Tink]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

Today I learned that cilantro is coriander.

I just thought I'd share that with you.

Learn something new everyday. So I have two cilantros in my spice cabinet. That's a good thing cause I love cilantro. Especially in a Thai Fry.

[Clodfobble]

Huh. I'm surprised how many people didn't know they were the same thing. But then again, maybe that's because around here cilantro is common as dirt and nobody carries exotic Indian things like "coriander." If you want coriander at all, you have to know it's really cilantro.

What's the other big thing that goes by two names...? Oh yeah, scallions and green onions. Those are the same too.

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

What's the other big thing that goes by two names...? Oh yeah, scallions and green onions. Those are the same too.

They get called shallots or spring onions here also, although shallots and spring onions are slightly different, they are often have the same applications anyway, so it doesn't matter either way too much unless you're a food nazi.