Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is an annual plant in the parsley family used for both its fresh leaves and its dried seeds — two products with very different flavour profiles. The leaves (known as cilantro in the Americas) have a bright, citrusy, polarising flavour — a genetic variation makes them taste soapy to a proportion of the population. The dried seeds are warm, nutty, and mildly sweet.
Coriander is one of the oldest known spice plants, with evidence of use stretching back to ancient Egypt. Today it is essential to an enormous range of cuisines: the fresh leaves in Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian cooking; the ground seeds in Indian, Middle Eastern, North African, and Southeast Asian spice blends.
In Australia, fresh coriander is one of the most popular herbs, used extensively in Asian and Mexican-inspired cooking. Ground coriander seed is a pantry staple. The plant is grown domestically, though Australia also imports coriander seed from India, Morocco, and other producing countries.
How it's produced
Coriander is a fast-growing annual that thrives in cool to mild conditions and bolts quickly in heat. For fresh leaf production, it is sown successionally — new plantings every two to three weeks — to maintain a continuous supply, as individual plants are short-lived. Leaves are harvested by cutting the whole plant or picking outer stems.
For seed production, the plants are allowed to flower and set seed. The seeds are harvested when the plant has dried and the seed colour has turned from green to brown. In commercial operations, the crop is swathed or combined, then threshed and cleaned. Major seed-producing regions include India (the dominant global producer), Morocco, Russia, and parts of Eastern Europe. In Australia, coriander seed is grown commercially in South Australia and other temperate regions.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
* Based on what it takes to produce, from farm to factory gate.
Keeping it
Keep it: in the fridge wrapped in a damp paper towel.
Advice from Cubud’s own keeping notes — how to keep it, not a measured number.
What comes from this
Your household's take
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