Cilantro Varieties

Fine-Leaved Cilantro

• The delicate leaves of this variety are common in Indian dishes and often used as a garnish, like parsley. When it goes to seed, the dried seeds are ground and add flavor to curries and garam masala, an Indian spice mixture.

Leisure Cilantro

• The tallest-growing variety, Leisure cilantro is slow to bolt, and its leaves are large and strongly flavored. Its normal height is between 20 and 28 inches.

Chinese Parsley --- Yuen Sai

• This cilantro variety gets its name from the shape of its leaves, which resemble flatleaf parsley. Yuen sai has an earthier taste than other cilantro varieties and accents the tastes of sauces, stews, curries and fish dishes. When chinese parsley goes to seed, the seeds are dried and added whole to stuffing, pastries and sausages.

Confetti Cilantro

• The sweetest of cilantro varieties, Confetti cilantro has leaves that most closely resemble carrot greens. The mature greens are large enough to be included in salad-green mixtures, and its seeds are tasty additions to savory dishes. Confetti cilantro has a long growing season and is quick to sprout regrowth after being cut.

Lemon Cilantro

• Despite its small size of 12 inches or less, this variety has a distinct lemon flavor and an aroma strong enough to fill the air inside or out with a pleasing citrus fragrance. Lemon cilantro is most often used in Thai cuisine either freshly cut and sprinkled on top of finished dishes or cooked with other ingredients.

Fun Facts

• Depending on the region in which you purchase cilantro, it may be called by other names, including coriander, koriandron, yan shi, fan yan su, Chinese parsley, dhania or persil arabe.

  The dried whole seeds of cilantro are called coriander and taste nothing like fresh cilantro. The tan, round seeds have a slightly sweet, lemony flavor with a hint of caraway and add a distinct taste and texture to pastries and baked goods. Ground coriander seeds are used in both sweet and savory recipes.