Coriander has been cultivated for more than 2000 years and is mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts as well as in the Old Testament in Ex. 16:31 and Num. 11:7. Coriander is one of the bitter Passover herbs.
In China they believed Coriander would make
them immortal and during the Middle Ages it was put into love potions.
Coriander is also known as 'Chinese Parsley' and/or Danhia.
It is a strongly aromatic annual herb with delicate white or pink flowers
arranged in umbels.
Coriander is easy to grow and its flowers attract butterflies and bees to your garden. It needs full sun and watering twice a week. Allow the seed to ripen on the plant — it turns light brown and then harvest.
The whole plant can be used — the young leaves and shoots, the root, the dried seeds, and sometimes the flowers. The lower leaves have a pungent strong scent and flavour, while the upper leaves have a less pungent taste.
Culinary
Always use Coriander sparingly.
Use fresh Coriander leaves, shoots and flowers for a delicious, tangy and spicy flavour
in a variety of salads and garnishes. Add at the end of cooking time
to curries, soups, stews and sauces. Coriander sprigs do not
dry successfully — but they can be frozen or preserved layered in salt
or in olive oil.
Coriander seed has been used in cooking since ancient times. For the best flavour you need to lightly roast the seed and it should then be freshly ground just before use. An all time favourite Greek dish is pork cooked with Coriander seeds. The seed are an important ingredient of curry powders and spice mixtures and are also used to make pickling vinegar. Grind a few Coriander seeds and flavour breads, cakes, biscuits, marmalade, chutney and tomato jam. Coriander seed is also traditionally used to flavour biltong and boerewors.
The roots of young Coriander plants can be washed and grated to be used in pesto type sauces.
Medicinal
Chew Coriander flowers or seeds to sweeten the breath
after eating garlic.
Apply externally in a lotion or cream
for rheumatic pain.
A tea made with Coriander is
a gentle remedy for nervous tension, heartburn, flatulence, bloating,
colic and loss of appetite.
Here is a method on preparing a herbal tea as written
by Margie Frayne in her book "Help yourself to
Health — A guide for home health using healing herbs and good
nutrition"
You will need:
1 teaspoon crushed seeds or ¼ cup of fresh leaves to 1 cup boiling water
Place the herbs
in a container with a lid. Pour the boiling water over the herbs. Cover
and stand for 5-15 minutes. Strain. Add sugar or honey if necessary.
Use as a drink, taking 1 cup daily, hot or cold (per advice of the doctor
or herbalist).
Make enough for one day only.
Do not stand overnight to use the next day.
Coriander as an insect repellent
To repel Flies and Mosquitoes:
Rub fresh Coriander leaves over
kitchen counters and window sills
Recipe to repel Fruit fly:
½ bucket fresh Coriander leaves,
stalks and stalks
½ bucket khakibos leaves and
stalks
100 ml soap powder
4 tbsp sugar
Method:
Pour 2 buckets of boiling water over the
coriander and khakibos. Cover and let it stand overnight.
Strain and add soap powder to the mixture. Dissolve the sugar in a little
hot water and add to the mixture. Stir gently until the soap powder
is dissolved. Sieve again into a Spray unit and spray weekly over the
whole tree, and drench the roots with the remainder. Wash the fruit
before eating it.
