Coriander

Known in English as Chinese parsley or by its Spanish name, cilantro, coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is a staple of Chinese cooking. The leaves and stems are flatter and more delicate than our common curly parsley and smaller than Italian parsley, with a taste and odor all their own. Some people find the smell simply awful and liken the taste to soap. For others, it is a lovely aroma and a refreshing, stimulating flavor. Check among your guests before serving it raw, although finely minced and mixed into a sesame, peanut, or mustard sauce or blended into a filling it seems to be less a source of argument. (One of the complainers must have given the plant its Latin name, which is derived from the Greek for fetid bedbug. However, East is East and West is West—the Chinese name means “fragrant plant.”)