Cilantro And Coriander: Are They The Same?

Cilantro is an herb that comes from the leaves and stems of the coriander plant. You’ve probably seen it as a garnish on tacos, burritos, pho, pad Thai, guacamole, and many other foods.

Cilantro adds a fresh, bright flavour to savoury dishes in Indian, Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, and other cuisines around the world. When used as a garnish, cilantro adds a light, fresh flavour to food, kind of like lemon zest or black pepper.

That’s why cilantro is sometimes called Chinese parsley too. It’s used in Chinese and other Asian cooking the same way parsley is used in European cooking-as a fresh, herbaceous garnish. Cilantro is a popular herb used to add bright flavour as a garnish in many cuisines globally.

What is Coriander?

Coriander is the seed that cilantro grows from. But it tastes nothing like the cilantro plant! These little seeds look a lot like white pepper. They’re small and beige. You can buy them whole or grind them into powder.

People call them coriander seeds to tell them apart from cilantro leaves. Coriander seeds taste earthy and a little bitter. Their flavour has hints of cumin, fennel, and black pepper. Indian cooking uses coriander seeds a lot. They get put in garam masala spice mixes. Or the whole seeds can go in broth to give a subtle peppery or anise taste.