Coriander
Pagès has chosen to introduce Coriander in several of its products. This plant has a very characteristic taste and blends perfectly with other flavours.
Coriander, a plant with a pronounced and characteristic taste
Origins of coriander
Native to the Middle East, Coriander is one of the plants whose history is relatively unknown. It is said that the first archaeological evidence of Coriander dates back to about 6,000 years BC.
Coriander has visibly been cultivated in ancient Greece at least since the 2nd millennium BC. Tablets from the Mycenaean civilization have been found mentioning Coriander as a ritual offering plant or as a raw material for the creation of ointments and aromatic products used in temples and palaces.
In France, archaeological excavations have shown the presence of Coriander since ancient times (between the 1st and 5th centuries BC). Like many other plants, Coriander has been used as an aromatic herb since medieval times.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Coriander was used to hunt witches. A woman suspected of witchcraft was offered a delicious coriander-flavoured bread. If she refused it or did not like its taste, she was declared a witch!
Characteristics of coriander
Name: Coriandrum Sativum
Family: Apiaceae
Species: herbaceous plant
Coriander is an annual herbaceous plant, measuring about 50 cm. It is grown mainly in southern Europe, throughout Asia, North Africa and Latin America. The stems of the Coriander are upright, thin and cylindrical.
Its lower leaves are divided into large segments, the upper leaves having a more pronounced filiform appearance. Its white umbel flowers appear from June to August and are followed by globular, green and yellowish fruits, as large as a grain of pepper. The dried fruits have a warm and sweet aroma. They contain a fatty oil and an aromatic essence containing linalool, camphor, geranyl acetate and terpinenes.
Fresh, the plant has a characteristic bug smell. It can withstand negative temperatures for short periods of time, but this cold resistance only applies to young plants, as stem growth reduces this cold resistance. On the contrary, a high temperature will favour the yield of the fruits and their essential oil content.
The word "Coriander" comes from the Greek "koris" meaning "bug". Coriander has been named in this way to remind us of its unique smell. It is also known as "Chinese parsley" or "Arabic parsley", as these two civilizations use it extensively for culinary purposes.
Uses of coriander
Coriander is above all a very popular condiment. Many civilizations, including Asians and Arabs, use it in cooking. Its fresh leaves have a particular flavour: orange notes with a slight hint of bitterness. Coriander is a delicious aromatic, bringing a very characteristic taste to dishes such as salads, soups, pestos and other sauces, etc.
In Asian cuisine, its roots are also used to give taste to typical dishes: noodles, shrimps, etc. Oriental cuisine especially appreciates its leaves to give the very special flavours of its traditional dishes: tagines, zucchini salad, stuffed sardines, etc. In French cuisine, Coriander is used for its leaves, which match very well with meat (beef tartare, duck parmentier, etc.) but also with vegetable dishes.
Benefits of coriander
Coriander is renowned for its highly effective action against gastrointestinal disorders. It is useful in difficult digestion. It is said to be stimulating and even exciting, it is recommended to, after a good meal, fight the sleepiness that sometimes follows it.
