CORIANDER
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. It is also known as Chinese parsley, dhania, or cilantro. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds (which are both a herb and a spice) are the parts most traditionally used in cooking.
Botanical description
Flowers of Coriandrum sativum
Coriander is native to regions spanning from Southern Europe and Northern Africa to Southwestern Asia.
It is a soft plant growing to 50 cm (20 in) tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the flowering stems.
Coriander grows wild over a wide area of Western Asia and Southern Europe, prompting the comment: “It is hard to define exactly where this plant is wild and where it only recently established itself. Recent works suggested that coriander accessions found in the wild in Israel and Portugal might represent the ancestor of the cultivated coriander. They have low germination rates and a small vegetative appearance. The accession found in Israel has an extremely hard fruit coat.
Leaves
Coriander leaves
The leaves are variously referred to as coriander leaves, fresh coriander, Chinese parsley, or (in the US and commercially in Canada) cilantro. The fresh leaves are an ingredient in many foods, such as chutneys and salads, salsa, guacamole, and as a widely used garnish for soup, fish, and meat. As heat diminishes their flavour, coriander leaves are often used raw or added to the dish immediately before serving. In Indian and Central Asian recipes, coriander leaves are used in large amounts and cooked until the flavour diminishes.[15] The leaves spoil quickly when removed from the plant and lose their aroma when dried or frozen.
Nutrition
Raw coriander leaves are 92% water, 4% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and less than 1% fat (table). The nutritional profile of coriander seeds is different from that of fresh stems or leaves. In a 100-gram (3+1⁄2 oz) reference amount, leaves are particularly rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K, with moderate content of dietary minerals (table). Although seeds generally have lower vitamin content, they do provide significant amounts of dietary fiber, calcium, selenium, iron, magnesium, and manganese.
The essential oil from coriander leaves and seeds contains mixed polyphenols and terpenes, including linalool as the major constituent accounting for the aroma and flavour of coriander.
Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy | 95 kJ (23 kcal) |
|---|---|
Carbohydrates | 3.67 g |
Sugars | 0.87 |
Dietary fiber | 2.8 g |
Fat | 0.52 g |
Protein | 2.13 g |
Vitamins | Quantity
%DV† |
Vitamin A equiv. | 42% |
beta-Carotene | 337 μg |
lutein zeaxanthin | 36% , 3930 μg , 865 μg |
Thiamine (B1) | 6% , 0.067 mg |
Riboflavin (B2) | 14% , 0.162 mg |
Niacin (B3) | 7% , 1.114 mg |
Pantothenic acid (B5) | 11% , 0.57 mg |
Vitamin B6 | 11% , 0.149 mg |
Folate (B9) | 16% , 62 μg |
Vitamin C | 33% , 27 mg |
Vitamin E | 17% , 2.5 mg |
Vitamin K | 295% , 310 μg |
Minerals | Quantity
%DV† |
Calcium | 7% , 67 mg |
Iron | 14% , 1.77 mg |
Magnesium | 7% , 26 mg |
Manganese | 20% , 0.426 mg |
Phosphorus | 7% , 48 mg |
Potassium | 11% , 521 mg |
Sodium | 3% , 46 mg |
Zinc | 5% , 0.5 mg |