Cilantro

[ZenGum]

I thought Cilantro sounded like a good name for medicine.

Cilantro = coriander

Bell pepper = capsicum?

Cantaloupe = rock melon?

Any more?

[Aliantha]

I thought cilantro sounded like a good name for a drink.

[morethanpretty]

I hate cilantro also, can't stand it especially in mexican food or salsa. Even the smell bothers me, and now that I know its coriander I'll know to stay away from that too. Even thinking about it turns my stomach. Yea mutants!

[Cloud]

interesting, Aliantha. I don't think we have those here ('tho we have many, many other chile peppers); they almost look like habaneros, which are the hottest. How deceptive!

"capsicum" properly refers to the entire plant family of peppers, I think. Or the stuff in them that makes them hot.

[Juniper]

I've heard (whether it's true or not) that if you think cilantro tastes like soap, you are allergic to it. And all allergies do run from mild to awful; if you eat enough cilantro your mouth will itch.

I'd be interested to find out the ethnicity of those who hate cilantro. I'm mainly Brit/German...

Allergies are inherited, right? Certain ethnicities are predisposed to lactose intolerance. I have that too.

And I'm allergic to shrimp. It makes me puke. I like it, but it doesn't like me.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Those look like Scotch-bonnets or Habañeros -- flamin' hot, as Andy Capp might have said.

In the US, bell peppers are the big fleshy ones like your first pic, green, yellow, or orange or red, that you slice up for salads or chop up for pizza. There's a rather zingier variety of these called Mexi-Bells, possessed of a bit more heat. A fairly recent crossbreed.

A sprinkle of chopped cilantro gives a fresh, tingly quality to anything Mexican from tacos to pico de gallo/salsa cruda. It's also an excellent garnish for soup.

Now I wonder how many native Mexicans have that dislike of cilantro.

You'll also run across the name "Chinese Parsley." Still cilantro.

Coriander more often refers to the seeds, around here. Bash 'em up in a coffee grinder as a curry powder ingredient: coriander, green cardamom, cumin, a bit of cayenne, fenugreek, optionally turmeric... grind fresh from the seed whenever possible.

Now what do you suppose is so rocklike about a cantaloupe?

[Sundae]

We're the same with bell peppers, Ali. Small and hot.
The big red pepper above is just that - a red pepper!

I've found the big beefy spring onions. Turns out they are just a variant spring onion. They still look a bit weird to me. More common in America apparently.

Oh, Ali - while looking for spring onions I found out that calling spring onions "shallots" is an Australian thing. From wiki

In Australia, the foodstuff industry has renamed a number of vegetables. The name shallot has been applied to scallions, normally called spring onions in Australia, and shallots have been renamed eschalotte. The term French shallot has also been used for Allium oschaninii.

Another case of same word, different meaning!

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

I thought Cilantro sounded like a good name for medicine.

Cilantro = coriander

Bell pepper = capsicum?

Cantaloupe = rock melon?

Any more?

Heee...my mom bought me a clematis to plant and I told her it sounded like an STD. Then she talked about planting a cyclamen and I asked if that was the new 4 day treatment for clematis.

[barefoot serpent]

salsa must have cilantro... I also use about even parts tomatoes and tomatillos in my homemade chunky salsa recipe. Have the green salsa variants made it out of the New World yet?

[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 guess it would be way better if you can stand the smell and taste of cilantro. That's a matter of perspective.

SEems most people love it though.

[Flint]

Originally Posted by barefoot serpent

salsa must have cilantro... I also use about even parts tomatoes and tomatillos in my homemade chunky salsa recipe. Have the green salsa variants made it out of the New World yet?

Amen to the tangy tomatillo. Can't make a decent salsa without it.

[Sundae]

I've never seen them on sale here.
It's possible they are sold in specialist places like Borough Market, but the local specialist grocers tend to be Indian, Chinese or Afro-Caribbean, so I haven't come across them yet.

I'll ask my colleague, she's a bit of a foodie and cooks everything from scratch, including salsa.

[Cloud]

ever notice that food threads usually get a lot of activity?

It's really fun for me to talk with people in other parts of the world about food. People are passionate about food, and no wonder.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

Heee...my mom bought me a clematis to plant and I told her it sounded like an STD. Then she talked about planting a cyclamen and I asked if that was the new 4 day treatment for clematis.

He tried to ride a cylamen
he took a bad spill
but when he rhododendron
he just looked like a dill