CORIENDER SEEDS

INDIAN NAME OF SPICES

Hindi : Dhania or Dhanya Bengali : Dhana, Dhania Gujarati : Kothmiri, Libdhaba Kannada : Kothambri, Kothamiri bija Kashmiri : Deaniwal, Kothambalari Malayalam : Kothumpalari bija Marathi : Dhana Oriya : Dhania Punjabi : Dhania Sanskrit : Dhanyaka Tamil : Kothamalli Telugu : Dhaniyalu

FOREIGN NAME OF SPICES

Spanish : Cilantro French : Corriandre German : Koriander Swedish : Koriander Arabic : Kuzhbare Dutch : Koriander Portuguese : Coentro Russian : Koriandr Japanese : Koendoro Chinese : Hu-sui

USES

The young plant is used for flavouring and garnishing curries and soups. The fruits (seeds) are widely used as condiments with or without roasting in the preparation of curry powders, sausages and seasonings. It is an important ingredient in the manufacture of food flavourings, in bakery products, meat products, soda & syrups, puddings, candy preserves and liquors. In medicines it is used as a carminative, refrigerant, diuretic, and aphrodisiac. In household medicines, it is used against seasonal fever, stomach disorders, and nausea. Coriander oil and oleoresins are primarily used in seasonings for sausages and other meat products.

•   Fresh leaves and dried seeds are the most commonly used in cooking, but all parts of the plant are edible, and the roots are an important element of Thai cooking. Coriander is used in cuisines throughout the world

•   The variety C. sativum var. sativum has a fruit diameter of 3–5 mm (1Ú8–3Ú16 in), while var. microcarpum fruits have a diameter of 1.5–3.0 mm (0.06–0.12 in), and var. indicum has elongated fruits.[25] Large-fruited types are grown mainly by tropical and subtropical countries, e.g. Morocco, India, and Australia, and contain a low volatile oil content (0.1–0.4%). They are used extensively for grinding and blending purposes in the spice trade. Types with smaller fruit are produced in temperate regions and usually have a volatile oil content of around 0.4–1.8%, so they are highly valued as a raw material for the preparation of essential oil.[

Nutrition

Raw coriander leaves are 92% water, 4% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and less than 1% fat (table). The nutritional profile of coriander seeds is different from that of fresh stems or leaves. In a 100-gram (3+1Ú2 oz) reference amount, leaves are particularly rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K, with moderate content of dietary minerals (table). Although seeds generally have lower vitamin content, they do provide significant amounts of dietary fiber, calcium, selenium, iron, magnesium, and manganese.

Taste and smell

The essential oil from coriander leaves and seeds contains mixed polyphenols and terpenes, including linalool as the major constituent accounting for the aroma and flavour of coriander.

Different people may perceive the taste of coriander leaves differently. Those who enjoy it say it has a refreshing, lemony or lime-like flavour, while those who dislike it have a strong aversion to its pungent taste and smell, characterizing it as soapy or rotten.[33] Studies also show variations in preference among different ethnic groups: 21% of East Asians, 17% of Caucasians, and 14% of people of African descent expressed a dislike for coriander, but among the groups where coriander is popular in their cuisine, only 7% of South Asians, 4% of Hispanics, and 3% of Middle Eastern subjects expressed a dislike.[34]

About 80% of identical twins shared the same preference for the herb, but fraternal twins agreed only about half the time, strongly suggesting a genetic component to the preference. In a genetic survey of nearly 30,000 people, two genetic variants linked to the perception of coriander have been found, the most common of which is a gene involved in sensing smells.[35] The gene OR6A2 lies within a cluster of olfactory-receptor genes, and encodes a receptor that is highly sensitive to aldehyde chemicals. Flavour chemists have found that the coriander aroma is created by a half-dozen substances, most of which are aldehydes. Those who dislike the taste are sensitive to the offending unsaturated aldehydes and, at the same time, may be unable to detect the aromatic chemicals that others find pleasant.[36] Association between its taste and several other genes, including a bitter-taste receptor, have also been found.[37]