When did Mexicans begin to use cilantro in their food? Can you give me any interesting facts about cilantro?!
Answers: The ability to taste a chemical in cilantro-phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) is an inherited trait in about 40% of the population. Cilantro has been used in scientific studies as a marker for inherited taste preferences.That is why some people hate cilantro and complain that it tastes like soap or other weird things. If you hate cilantro-blame your Mom and Dad, or at least your genetic makeup.
The Spainards brought it to Mexico in the 1500s.
Cilantro is one of those foods that people either love or hate. Interestingly, the regions of the world where it is most cherished are not where it originated. Cilantro’s genesis can be traced to the Mediterranean. The Romans spread it to Asia while the Spanish conquistadors introduced it to Mexico and Peru. Subsequently, cilantro is a primary herb in Indian, Asian, and Latin American cuisines while Europeans and Americans have given it a lukewarm reception. Nevertheless it is touted as the world’s most popular herb.
Cilantro’s nomenclature is somewhat confusing. The entire plant and the seeds are properly named coriander, while the leaves alone are cilantro. Colloquially, the entire plant and leaves are referred to as cilantro and only the seeds as coriander. Cilantro is also referred to as Chinese parsley.
Cilantro has been used for thousands of years. Coriander seeds have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. The Chinese believed it to be an aphrodisiac and to produce immortality. Coriander, like many foods throughout the ages, has also been credited with a number of medicinal properties.
CILANTRO: Fun Facts
Cilantro, Chinese parsley and fresh coriander leaves are different names for the same plant. Cilantro usually refers to the fresh leaves used as an herb, and coriander to the seeds used as a spice. They are quite different in flavor, can not be used as substitutes for one another. The roots are also eaten as a vegetable.
Cilantro is mentioned in the Medical Papyrus of Thebes written in 1552 B.C. and is one of the plants which grew in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Ancient Hebrews added Cilantro to an herb mixture used in the ritual of Passover. Greek and Roman physicians hailed its medicinal powers. The Coriandum sativum herb is believed to have been one of the earliest plantings in North America - dating back to 1670 in Massachusetts - and it soon appeared in Latin America where the Cilantro leaves, rather than the seed, became most popular.
Cilantro is believed to have been one of the earliest plantings in North America, where the cilantro leaves, rather than the seed, became more popular. Today, it is cultivated in the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe, Mexico and the U.S.
Cilantro is one of those tastes that people either love or hate, and descriptions of its taste and aroma vary widely. Here are some of the descriptions of it's flavor and odor from various sources: slightly soapy; like parsley but tangier; cirtusy, biting tang; fragrant; zesty; muddy; a mixture of cumin and caraway; stinky bed bug flavor; smells and tastes of chemicals; pungent; unforgettably pungent; sharp, strong, earthy; sage citrus flavor; clean and distinct flavor; orange peel-like aroma; sweet flavor; slight numbing quality; like wood bugs'; wild and uncharacterizable.
Coriander is mentioned as an aphrodisiac in The Tales of the Arabian Nights.