MOTHER HERB GARDEN CORIANDER
Five thousand years ago, coriander seeds from the
Mediterranean were being carried along the Silk Road in the
saddlebags of caravans, on their way to enrich the cuisine
of ancient Cathay with their orange-and-sage flavor. A
millennium before the birth of Christ, Egyptian mourners
placed jars of the spice beside gilded sarcophagi to
accompany spirits departing for the Land of the Dead. And
while Aztecs gathered leaves of the Coriandrum sativurn to
season stews, Chinese dined on the plant in hope of making
themselves immortal . . . or put its juice to more
immediate use as a gargle to ease toothaches. Furthermore,
for generations coriander has been eaten as one of the
bitter herbs of the Feast of Passover, and Bombay nights
have been made hotter with coriander-spiced curries.
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In summer, Chinese and Mexican produce stores carry fresh
coriander leaves, disguised under the names Chinese parsley
or cilantro, and your local supermarket keeps boxes of the
seeds on its shelves at all seasons. The seeds can spice up
sausages or give confections and puddings a sunny lift. In
fact, the candy coatings of cake sprinkles often conceal
the light brown spheres. A teaspoon of the spice will light
up the flavor of an apple pie. And by adding 1/3 cup of the
chopped leaves and half a teaspoon of cumin to a soup of
meatballs, carrots, onions, and zucchini, you can
approximate a dish popular south of the border-sopo de
albondigas.
Since coriander has naturalized widely throughout the U.S.,
you can bet that you won't have to fuss over its
cultivation. As long as it's drenched in sunlight, the
plant thrives in average, well-drained soil, and
overenrichment will only diminish its savor.
