Paulchens FoodBlog?!

The name coriander derives from French coriandre through Latin “coriandrumâ€? in turn from Greek “κοÏ?ίαννονâ€?. John Chadwick notes the Mycenaean Greek form of the word, koriadnon “has a pattern curiously similar to the name of Minos’ daughter Ariadne, and it is plain how this might be corrupted later to koriannon or koriandron.”

All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the most commonly used in cooking.
Coriander is commonly used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, South Asian, Latin American, Chinese, African and Southeast Asian cuisine.
Also used as a chelating agent to remove heavy metals from the body.

Coriander leaves were formerly common in European cuisine but nearly disappeared before the modern period.
Today Europeans usually eat coriander leaves only in dishes that originated in foreign cuisines, except in Portugal, where it is still an essential ingredient in many traditional dishes.
The fresh coriander herb is best stored in the refrigerator in airtight containers, after chopping off the roots. The leaves do not keep well and should be eaten quickly, as they lose their aroma when dried or frozen.

The dry fruits are known as coriander seeds or coriandi seeds.
In some regions, the use of the word coriander in food preparation always refers to these seeds (as a spice), rather than to the plant itself.
The seeds have a lemony citrus flavour when crushed, due to the presence of the terpenes linalool and pinene. It is also described as warm, nutty, spicy, and orange-flavoured. They are usually dried but can be eaten green.

Coriander seed is a key spice (Hindi name: धनिया dhania) in garam masala and Indian curries, which often employ the ground fruits in generous amounts together with cumin.
It also acts as a thickener. Roasted coriander seeds, called dhana dal, are also eaten as a snack. It is also the main ingredient of the two south Indian gravies: sambhar and rasam.

Coriander roots are used in a variety of Asian cuisine. They are commonly used in Thai dishes.

wikipedia