Coriander is a small, oval-shaped seed that is harvested from the herb
cilantro. While cilantro is well known for its unique love-it-or-hate-it
flavor and aroma, coriander is a wonderful spice that adds a pungent,
mildly sweet and citrusy flavor to many kinds of foods and seasoning
blends. The whole seeds are also pleasant to chew.
It’s best to grind the seeds just before using in cooking because the
flavor quickly dissipates with the evaporation of the seed’s essential
oils. In addition, lightly toasting the seeds in a dry pan before using
whole intensifies flavor. However, although coriander seed may make a
bold culinary statement while cooking, it rarely invades a dish to the
point of overwhelming it. In fact, coriander is one of those “secret
ingredients” that are hard to identify in a recipe but the final dish
would be lacking without it.
