Coriandrum sativum

 Coriander, also called cilantro, or “Chinese parsley,” is an annual closely related to the carrot, parsley, and celery plants. Remnants found in Neolithic sites in Israel suggest that coriander is indigenous to the Middle East, and has been used by humans for at least 8,200 years. Coriander plant remains recovered from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun demonstrate that the now-domesticated plant was already being cultivated by the Ancient Egyptians of the New Kingdom 3,500 years ago.

Both the leaf and the seed of coriander are used in cooking. The seed is ground or powdered and added to soups or rubbed onto meats. The fresh leaf is often used as a potherb, placed near the end of cooking in order to better preserve the flavor, or added raw to salads. In Chinese cuisine, seafood is often cooked with coriander (together with ginger) to help enhance the aromatic appeal (in addition to masking unpleasant odors), and to prevent the inherent cold energies of most seafoods from harming the middle jiao.