While associated with Mexican and Asian dishes, coriander and cilantro have a long history within Italian cooking.
Coriander (whose leaves are called "cilantro") is a native plant of Italy. Cilantro looks like parsley but has a sweet-musky, almost anise flavor. The plant produces pale pink flowers during the summer that ripen into the sweetly aromatic coriander seed. The amazing thing is that the coriander seed and cilantro leaves do not have similar flavors.
Coriander is a Mediterranean plant, and was introduced to the warmer portions of Europe by the Romans. The Romans combined ground coriander with cumin and vinegar, they then rubbed it into meat as a preservative. As the Roman army traveled they took coriander with them.
The Romans were not the first to discover the delicious qualities of this plant. Coriander has been found in Egyptian tombs. It is mentioned in the book of Exodus, "The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey" (Exodus 16:31).
In recipes that call for fennel or anise, you may substitute coriander for a subtler flavor. When preparing meatballs, ground coriander adds a nice flavor. I like to use it in salads to add a zing of flavor. Add to marinades, especially those with a citrus base, for a sophisticated flavor.
Experiment with dishes using both coriander and cilantro. You will find it adds nice variations on recipes that have begun to be boring.
