4 ms·

Where I'm from we call the leaves coriander too.

crazygringo 2y ago
Are you in the US? Just curious if there's regional variation in e.g. supermarket labeling. Because if you look at nationwide labeling, cilantro seems to refer exclusively to the leaves, and coriander exclusively to the seeds, and I've never seen anything different within the US: https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=cilantro https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=cilantro https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=coriander https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=coriander https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=cilantro https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=cilantro https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=coriander https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=coriander And if both terms can be used for the leaves, is there anywhere that calls the ground seeds cilantro?
- wkat4242 2y ago
  No I'm in Europe. In the Netherlands we call the fresh herb coriander too, the term Cilantro doesn't exist. I think it's the same in Spain though it's a bit murkier there due to many Mexican restaurants calling it Cilantro. I think in Ireland they called everything coriander too though i don't recall exactly. But I'd never heard the term Cilantro till i went to a Mexican restaurant in Spain :)
  - raffraffraff 2y ago
    Yep, in Ireland it's coriander leaves and coriander seeds.
  - pezezin 2y ago
    Spanish guy here. The standard name is cilantro, used for both the seeds and the leaves. The Mexicans got the name from us, not the other way :P However, I have seen the opposite situation, Mexican people calling the seeds "coriandro", probably due to USA influence.
    - JohnFen 2y ago
      I believe we in the US picked up the term "cilantro" for the leaves and "coriander" for the seeds from Mexico, not the other way around. But I couldn't quickly find an online reference clarifying this either way. So I don't know.
      - pezezin 2y ago
        Sorry, I wrote my comment early in the morning and I didn't explain myself clearly. "Coriander" was the standard English word, and "cilantro" the standard Spanish word, way before the European arrival to the Americas. My understanding is that American English got the word "cilantro" for the leaves from Mexican cuisine... and then Mexican Spanish did the opposite and took the word "coriandro" for the seeds from English, to differentiate between the leaves and the seeds. I don't know how common the word is though; I have never been to Mexico so don't take my word for it. However, European English and Spanish still use just one word each. If you ask me, I will say "hojas de cilantro" (leaves) and "semillas de cilantro" (seeds). It is not so common in our cuisine, so there is no need to have different words.
  - lproven 2y ago
    > the term Cilantro doesn't exist. Agreed. (Brit here.) It's all "coriander." By default the term refers to the leaves, and if you meant the seeds you'd specify "coriander seeds". I didn't learn the Americanism "cilantro" until I was an adult.
- interroboink 2y ago
  I was quite confused when following an Indian cookbook, which kept referring to "fresh coriander." I tried to find it at the store, with no luck. But I can buy cilantro, no problem (: Apparently "chinese parsley" is another term for it, perhaps less common now (haven't heard that in a while).

Are you in the US? Just curious if there's regional variation in e.g. supermarket labeling. Because if you look at nationwide labeling, cilantro seems to refer exclusively to the leaves, and coriander exclusively to the seeds, and I've never seen anything different within the US: https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=cilantro https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=cilantro https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=coriander https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=coriander https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=cilantro https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=cilantro https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=coriander https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=coriander And if both terms can be used for the leaves, is there anywhere that calls the ground seeds cilantro?

wkat4242 2y ago
No I'm in Europe. In the Netherlands we call the fresh herb coriander too, the term Cilantro doesn't exist. I think it's the same in Spain though it's a bit murkier there due to many Mexican restaurants calling it Cilantro. I think in Ireland they called everything coriander too though i don't recall exactly. But I'd never heard the term Cilantro till i went to a Mexican restaurant in Spain :)
- raffraffraff 2y ago
  Yep, in Ireland it's coriander leaves and coriander seeds.
- pezezin 2y ago
  Spanish guy here. The standard name is cilantro, used for both the seeds and the leaves. The Mexicans got the name from us, not the other way :P However, I have seen the opposite situation, Mexican people calling the seeds "coriandro", probably due to USA influence.
  - JohnFen 2y ago
    I believe we in the US picked up the term "cilantro" for the leaves and "coriander" for the seeds from Mexico, not the other way around. But I couldn't quickly find an online reference clarifying this either way. So I don't know.
    - pezezin 2y ago
      Sorry, I wrote my comment early in the morning and I didn't explain myself clearly. "Coriander" was the standard English word, and "cilantro" the standard Spanish word, way before the European arrival to the Americas. My understanding is that American English got the word "cilantro" for the leaves from Mexican cuisine... and then Mexican Spanish did the opposite and took the word "coriandro" for the seeds from English, to differentiate between the leaves and the seeds. I don't know how common the word is though; I have never been to Mexico so don't take my word for it. However, European English and Spanish still use just one word each. If you ask me, I will say "hojas de cilantro" (leaves) and "semillas de cilantro" (seeds). It is not so common in our cuisine, so there is no need to have different words.
- lproven 2y ago
  > the term Cilantro doesn't exist. Agreed. (Brit here.) It's all "coriander." By default the term refers to the leaves, and if you meant the seeds you'd specify "coriander seeds". I didn't learn the Americanism "cilantro" until I was an adult.
interroboink 2y ago
I was quite confused when following an Indian cookbook, which kept referring to "fresh coriander." I tried to find it at the store, with no luck. But I can buy cilantro, no problem (: Apparently "chinese parsley" is another term for it, perhaps less common now (haven't heard that in a while).