Cilantro

Was there culinary life in the United States before cilantro? It hardly seems possible that five years ago the fresh herb was difficult to find, and required an explanation each time it appeared in a recipe. Today, with the country’s growing Asian and Latin population (it is a staple in the cuisine of both groups), cilantro is available nationwide.

The dried seeds of the cilantro plant, usually called coriander, have played a role in good food since ancient Egyptian times or perhaps even earlier (the first documented appearance of the seeds is in a twenty-first dynasty tomb). Throughout recorded history the seeds’ unusual fragrance—at once sweet, musky, herbaceous—has been part of liqueurs, confections, pickled fruits and vegetables, soups, and stews. It is probably most familiar to modern cooks in Indian mixed spices (such as curry powder and garam masala) and in the standard blend called “pickling spice,” which originated in India but is a mainstay in American “put-ups.”