Coriander vs Cilantro

>Careful, coriander is usually considered the "dried herb". Interesting
>enough, in my early veggie cooking days I often used the dried coriander
>not realizing the recipe called for "cilantro". Sometimes it worked,
>sometimes it didn't. I'm not positive, but I think that the dried herb
>coriander is not really dried cilantro (they seem to taste considerably
>different). I have found that parsley and cilantro are pretty much
>interchangeable. Cilantro pestos are marvelous using almonds (low fat)
>instead of pine nuts and cilantro/parsley instead of basil.

Coriander is the dried seed of cilantro. It is often purchased dried in
little containers labeled "coriander" in U.S. grocery stores in the spice
shelves.

Cilantro is the fresh leaves of the cilantro/coriander plant. It is not
satisfactory in recipes dried or frozen. It must be fresh. It is easily
grown from seed in most places, and most seed catalogs in the U.S. sell it.
Shepherd's Seeds sells several varieties. It grows in the early spring, and
it bolts in hot weather, as does lettuce. We in the western U.S. can buy it
in the fresh produce section almost all year long.

To keep fresh cilantro, trim the stems when you get home and rinse the
entire bunch in lukewarm water. Plunge the stems in a glass of water, put a
grocery baggie around the whole thing, blow into the baggie to puff it up,
tie off the top securely with a twistem or a rubber band so the whole thing
looks like an inflated balloon, and put it in the fridge. Put fresh air into
it every day and change water every other day, and it will last for awhile.