A useful guide to coriander, including ideas on how to use it in cooking.

Coriander has been around for thousands of years, even as far back as 5000 BC. It is native to southern Europe and the Middle East and was used by the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks.

In fact, the Romans used coriander to flavour their bread and to preserve their meat whilst travelling.

Coriander has also been used for thousands of years in medicine, to mask the naturally unpleasant taste of some medicines, as well as for medicinal purposes.

Although coriander is a tiny herb, it is actually full of vitamins and minerals. It is particularly rich in Vitamins A and K, but also contains plenty of Vitamins B, C and E.

As for the mineral content, coriander has a phenomenal amount of potassium and is also a good source of calcium, magnesium and phosphorous.

Coriander has traditionally and is still used mainly to treat all kinds of stomach and digestive problems. It is said to help regain a loss of appetite and therefore is beneficial for sufferers of anorexia.

In Chinese medicine, the seeds are used to treat stomach disorders, whilst the leaves can be chewed in order to combat bad breath.

Coriander is said to contain several properties that can heal the body and is used to treat the following symptoms:

• Coriander is used to treat urinary tract infections.
• It aids digestion.
• Coriander restores a loss of appetite.
• It has been used for gastric disorders.
• Coriander freshens the breath and combats halitosis.
• If prepared as a herbal tea, infused with hot water, coriander can help to relieve headaches, particularly those that are caused by a cold or flu.
• Coriander is sometimes an ingredient of lotions and creams that can be applied to the skin in order to treat aching joints and rheumatism. This is because it is known to have anti-inflammatory qualities.
• In research on rats, it was proven that coriander lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol and raises HDL (good) cholesterol.
• It can alleviate PMT and menstrual problems in women.
• Coriander can promote sleep.

As with most herbs, coriander is best bought fresh as opposed to dried.

Fresh herbs are so much more flavoursome, although they only stay fresh for a few days.

Fresh coriander leaves, bought from the supermarket will last for about three days.

They should be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.

Coriander is predominantly used to flavour curries and soups but can be used in many more types of dishes and meals. Below are a number of ideas:

• Use in all types of curries, pickles, chutneys and sauces.
• Sprinkle over fresh salads.
• Use to flavour soups, carrot and coriander is quite popular.
• Use to flavour homemade bread, waffles and scones.
• Coriander is used as an ingredient for some cakes and biscuits including gingerbread.
• Use to add flavour to creamed cheese or mayonnaise.
• Use to garnish meat, fish or vegetable dishes.
• Use in meatballs, meat or vegetable burgers and other homemade dishes.
• Add to stocks and gravies.
• Use in marinades, particularly for meat and fish.
• Coriander goes very well with mushrooms.
• Use to spice up stir-fries and bland vegetables such as spinach.

Recipes that include fresh coriander as one of the main ingredients including guacamole, smoked mackerel pâté and marinated coriander chicken.