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Coriander is a member of carrot and parsley family.
It's an annual plant that, left on its own, can grow 1 to 3 feet tall (300 cm to 1 metre)
The bright green, fragrant leaves look like flat-leaf parsley. Both the leaves, stems, roots and seeds are used in cooking. The seeds are used as a spice, the leaves as an herb. The roots are also used in some Asian cooking.
The seeds don't have the same taste as the leaves. The seeds start out green and turn brown. They have to be harvested as soon as they are ripe because they start falling to the ground.
To some people of European descent, Coriander leaves will taste fresh, tangy and a bit citrusy. To others, it genuinely tastes like soap.
Cooking Tips
The leaves are best used raw, as the flavour is destroyed after a bit of cooking. If using in cooking, add leaves at the last minute as the taste is destroyed by heat.
Fresh coriander leaves go extremely well with spicy ethnic cuisine such as Indian, Mexican or Thai.
Substitutes
The seeds and leaves have totally different flavours, and aren't a substitute for each other.
Equivalents
1 bunch coriander leaves = 1 cup whole = 3/4 cup, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves = 3g
Storage
If you have a bunch of coriander with stems still on, store it in a glass of water in the fridge, changing the water every other day.
To freeze the leaves, chop, stuff into an ice cube try, and cover with water. When frozen (a few hours), tip out into and store in a sealed freezer bag. The leaves should keep for at least 3 months in the freezer. When thawed, use for dishes that involve cooking as opposed to using for a garnish.
Not worth drying it; it will come out tasting vaguely like tea.
The roots can be frozen as well. Just wrap well in tin foil.
History
Coriander seems to have been used as early as 5000 BC. It is mentioned in Egyptian writings.
The Romans used it. Pliny the Elder mentioned Coriander, saying the best was Egyptian.
The Romans brought it to Britain and spread it throughout Europe. At one point in time, it was heavily grown in Essex, England (recorded at the Maplesteads on the Suffolk border). The Coriander crops would be rotated with caraway and teazels.
Though very popular in Mexican and South American cooking, it wasn't present in the New World until the Spanish introduced it. British settlers were growing it in the New World by 1670 in Massachusetts.
Coriander leaves were used to flavour beer before hops came into common use; some beers, such as Belgian Wit beer, still use Coriander.
Language Notes
In Indian cooking, "dhaniya" refers to the seeds; "kothamalli" refers to the leaves. In Italian, "coriandolo" refers to the seed, "cilantro" refers to the leaves. Some people feel that the same distinction should be made in English, with "cilantro" referring to the leaves and "coriander" referring to the seeds. Though English often makes such distinctions between different forms of the same food (witness plums when fresh, prunes when dried), such a distinction is not universal in English with Coriander. The words Coriander and ciliantro appear to be used interchangeably when used for the leaves, though the seed is almost always referred to as "coriander". If anything, because of its association with Mexican cooking, North America is tending to start calling the leaves by the Spanish name, "cilantro".
Called "Poivre des pauvre gens" in Acadian French.
Also called:  Cilantro Coriandum Sativum (Scientific Name) Coriandre (French) Koriander (German) Cilantro, Coriandolo (Italian) Cilantro, Coriandro (Spanish) Coriandrum (Roman)
Other entries for Coriander
Coriander Root, Coriander
Other entries for Herbs
Angelica, Angostura Bark, Basil, Bay Leaf, Borage, Chamomile, Chervil, Chives, Comfrey, Cress, Curry Leaves, Dill, Dried Herbs, Epazote, Fennel, Fenugreek, Filé, Folium Indicum, Greens, Herbed Vinegars, Hops, Hyssop, Lavender, Loroco, Lovage, Marjoram, Mexican Tarragon, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Pennywort, Potherbs, Rosemary, Rue, Sage, Salad Burnet, Sarsaparilla, Sassafrass, Savoury, Screw Pine Leaves, Shiso Leaves, Silphium, Sorrel, Tarragon, Thyme, Trefoil, Valerian, Wild Garlic, Winter Purslane, Yarrow, Yomogi
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