Coriander

Coriander (sometimes called cilantro or Chinese parsley) is a leafy-green annual herb in the Apiaceae family that bears small fragrant seeds. Indigenous to Southern Europe, North Africa and Southeast Asia, it’s been cultivated for over 3000 years, and has a long history of use in cuisine and herbalism.

The plant is bright green, shiny and intensely aromatic. It blooms in the umbelliferous (umbrella-like) form typical to the carrot family—flowers are tiny and emerge in large flat clusters in pale mauve and white, delicate and pretty as the plant itself. Seed-clusters are green and symmetrical and fall to the ground when they ripen.

The plant is a delight to grow, and while it has a reputation for bolting it’s resilient in other ways—after distilling coriander seeds for essential oil and discarding the spent marc in the garden, we were amazed when a few months later we had crop of coriander on the way. Even after all that intense heat they remained viable. The resilience of plants!

All parts of the coriander plant including the root are edible, but the dried seeds are our focus in aromatic distilling.

Parts used: Seeds

While the leaf can be soapy and divisive, the delightfully fragrant dried seeds are a totally different aromatic story. Unripe green seeds still share much of the leaf’s distinctive aldehydes, but as the seeds dry they undergo a chemical change as different compounds come to the fore—linalool, thymol and geranyl acetate. The presence of these compounds mean dried coriander seeds emit lovely woodsy notes of thyme and a rich perfume reminiscent of geranium with vibrant herby-citrus top notes.

Crush the seeds and you’re first greeted with the floral-citrus aromas of orange and lemon. These top notes are from linalool, a naturally occurring aroma compound found in many spices and flowers, as well as in orange peel. And at higher concentrations linalool produces woody and piney tones.

Interestingly, coriander seeds share a similar molecular composition to juniper berries, which could be part of why the pair blend together so harmoniously and why they appear in most classic gin blends.

When distilled, coriander seeds have a complex flavour—citrusy, nutty and spiced all at once—though the exact aroma profile of your coriander can vary a lot between variety and depending on where it’s sourced. We encourage you to experiment with different types and see which you prefer for your particular your purpose.

In the Lab we’ve been using New Zealand-grown coriander as opposed to the Indian-sourced varieties that are in many shops here. The New Zealand seeds are smaller and more intensely flavoured—with more citrus and less of a curry-spiciness than the imported Indian seed. Because they are grown in Hawkes Bay, we can also be assured they haven’t been treated at customs. You can see a full GCMS comparisons of New Zealand and Indian-sourced coriander essential oils below.