Long coriander is another herb that I yet have to experience the pleasure of trying.
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Long coriander plants | Long coriander leaves and flower buds | Long coriander leaves |
| Species: | Eryngium foetidum. |
Origin: | Caribbean. |
Source: | The plant is native to the Caribbean islands and has been introduced to large parts of South-East Asia, including Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. |
Used Part: | Fresh leaves. |
Family: | Apiaceae (parsley family). |
Effect: | Aroma very similar to fresh common coriander leaves, but even stronger. |
Etymology: | Long coriander is known as culantro and racao in Central America and the former is probably a variant of cilantroor "common coriander". Many names in languages spoken outside its natural habitat compare it to the common coriander, e.g. Thai pak chi farang "foreign coriander", Malay ketumbar Jawa "Javanese coriander", Hindi bhandhania "broad coriander" and Chinese ci yuan sui "prickly coriander". |
The Thai name pak chi farang may also mean "parsley" (which also deserves to be called "foreign coriander", the similarities being more visual than olfactory). The Thai term farang "foreign", "Western" or "European" is derived from the name of the Germanic Frank people. Due to their powerful position in Medieval Europe, the ethnonym was loaned to Arabic as ifranji and faranj "European", whence it spread Eastwards. Other examples of the "foreigner" root include Sanskrit phiranga, Kurdish farangi, Thai farang and Khmer barang. The English term "saw leaf herb", on the other hand, refers to the serrated leafs. | |
The genus name eryngium is derived from the Greek name of the related sea holly eryngium vulgare, which was called eryngion and the name is probably related to er "spring time". The species name foetidum is Latin for "stinking" or "ugly". | |
Uses: | Long coriander belongs to the same plant family as common coriander, but the shape does not bear much resemblance. The long, tough leaves exude a fragrance very similar to the aroma of common coriander and they suggest themselves as substitutes or alternatives. Long coriander's usage concentrates on the Far East and Central America. |
In Asia, long coriander is most popular in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, where it is commonly used with or as a replacement for common coriander and topped over soups, noodle dishes and curries. It can also be used for Thai curry pastes, especially when common coriander roots are not available. Long coriander plays a role in the cooking of Vietnam, where fresh herbs are of great importance. It is often used to decorate soups and stir-fries and the largest leaves are used to wrap food. | |
In Central America, long coriander is most associated with the cooking style of Puerto Rico, although it is also known in other Caribbean islands and in Eastern Mexico. Long coriander is found in salsa, a spicy sauce of varying composition that often provides extra spiciness for the main courses or is used as a dip and eaten with crisp-fried tortilla chips known as tostadas. Some popular Mexican recipes are salsa cruda made from jitomate "raw tomatoes", salsa de chilli rojo from ripe tomatoes and dried paprika, salsa verde based on tomatillos and salsas based on dried sweet almond with fruity ingredients and mild or hot chillies. | |
Another Central American specialty that sometimes contains long coriander is the Latin American raw fish food ceviche. |
