Cilantro 2: Culantro
June 13, 2022 8:18 AM   Subscribe

The most transformative addition to my garden this year is Eryngium foetidum, an herb native to tropical America and widespread over the Caribbean, South, and Meso Americas as well as Southeast Asia. It's known by many names in many places, but the most common among Anglophones is culantro, which hints at its flavor: nearly identical to cilantro, but much stronger, longer lasting, and able to be cooked or dried without diminishing.

An especially common preparation is as a sort of green sofrito. In Puerto Rico, the herb is called recao and the preparation is called recaíto. In Trinidad and Tobago, the herb is usually called chadon beni (or shado beni; it's spelled many ways, but pronounced "shadow benny") and the preparation is called green seasoning.

I’ve seen claims from cilantro lovers that culantro does not taste like soap to those for whom cilantro does. I suspect that cilantro haters would disagree… can anyone with personal experience attest either way?
posted by thoroughburro (38 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- Brandon Blatcher



 
? My family is from Ecuador. As far as I know "Culantro" is the spanish word for cilantro. My parents buy cilantro at the supermarket and call it culantro. My relatives in ecuador buy "culantro" and it stinks and tastes just as disgusting (and in the same way) as cilantro. I feel like someone is being pranked.

I am a cilantro (and culantro)-hater deep in my soul, though I do not think it tastes like soap. By all means, serve me a plate of soap and I would much prefer it.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:21 AM on June 13, 2022 [5 favorites]


Hmmmm...strange...I've never seen that plant before. The disgusting weed all my relatives in Canada and Ecuador eat and call "culantro" looks like cilantro and has little hard ball seeds that fall into your garden and just make more and more of the disgusting stuff until you can barely go into the backyard because the stench is so terrible.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:22 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]


Oooh, neat, something new for the garden! I can't get enough of cilantro, you're telling me there's something even stronger?

The three critical conditions are warm soil - 80-85°F, seeds on the surface of the soil – never covered, and a consistently moist soil.

oh well never mind let me know when there's a varietal for lazy gardeners in zone 4
posted by ook at 8:28 AM on June 13, 2022 [4 favorites]


As far as I know "Culantro" is the spanish word for cilantro.

For me, Cilantro is Spanish for Coriander or Coriander leaf. I like both versions. I don't think it is warm enough where I am to try growing Culantro.
posted by Bee'sWing at 8:30 AM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]


I cook a lot of Indian (as in sub-continent) food, and a couple of cookbook authors have noted that cilantro and culantro are two different herbs. I've been meaning to try out culantro - I love cilantro, and if this is like cilantro on speed then I'm going to be in heaven - I just need to pick a recipe and hit the local place that has it.
posted by bile and syntax at 8:35 AM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]


thoroughburro, I'm currently going through my cookbooks to actually try to, like, plan in advance a little better and try new things - which is why I have all these cookbooks! - so I will prioritize this and use it as an excuse to hit my local Asian supermarket. Maybe they'll have cheap rambutans again, too...
posted by bile and syntax at 8:50 AM on June 13, 2022


A couple of fun facts:

If you're from the prairie states, you may see a resemblance to rattlesnake master, especially around the flowers--they're relatives. Rattlesnake master is Eryngium yuccifolium.

If you like cilantro, also try papalo (Porophyllum ruderale).
posted by pullayup at 8:58 AM on June 13, 2022 [6 favorites]


Keep meaning to try growing recao indoors, hydroponically (1, 2). Thanks for the nudge, thoroughburro.
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:08 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]


Specialtyproduce.com's entry for culantro has more names for it. "In Puerto Rico, Culantro is one of the essential ingredients in sofrito. [...] The cooked mixture can be stored for extended periods in the refrigerator..." Sofrito also freezes well, and ice cube trays make doling out recipe-base portions really easy.
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:23 AM on June 13, 2022


I don't actually find the flavor that similar, although I guess I sorta get it.
I def wouldn't substitute culantro for coriander leaves in a South Asian recipe.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:43 AM on June 13, 2022


Tangentially delicious, I grew Cedronella canariensis triphylla "Cedar mint" from a nursery start one fortuitously hot summer and haven’t found it since, or gotten any of the seeds to germinate. Minty and balsam-ish and wild. Seems like it would be useful for anyone in a temperate zone who would grow mint if it didn’t spread.
posted by clew at 9:47 AM on June 13, 2022


Oh I've never heard of culantro, how interesting. Here, we don't call the other one "cilantro. " It's either coriander or danya.
I love it, both the seeds and the leaves.
posted by Zumbador at 9:47 AM on June 13, 2022


I'm intrigued to try this. For anyone balking at the warm soil temperatures, you can try placing a container on a seedling warming mat, which will keep the soil warm even indoors. I appreciate all edible plants that will grow in the shade.

I'm currently eating a bowl of guacamole made with cilantro I picked from my garden a few minutes ago. I go through 4-5 succession plantings every year because it bolts so quickly. The taste is never as good when it's dried, so it's worth a shot to try something new. Homemade guacamole is a summer/early fall only thing for me currently.
posted by Alison at 9:56 AM on June 13, 2022 [3 favorites]


OOooh I always see this in my local groceries produce section right next to the cilantro and often thought of grabbing a bunch to experiment with...and always grab the cilantro instead. Heading to the store later I'll definitely grab a bunch of it.
It also seems hardier than cilantro so maybe I'll try planting some of this since I've never been too successful growing my second favorite herb cilantro (right after sweet basil, which I also can't seem to grow, despite having read and heeded all the tips)
posted by newpotato at 10:17 AM on June 13, 2022


I am a cilantro (and culantro)-hater deep in my soul, though I do not think it tastes like soap. By all means, serve me a plate of soap and I would much prefer it.

For me, it's not that it tastes like soap - it's more that my taste buds classify it as "non-food". It's like eating dirt. The taste lingers and it's very unpleasant.

I take it that culantro, then, has the same negative effects as cilantro on those of us who can't tolerate it.
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 11:02 AM on June 13, 2022 [3 favorites]


I planted some Vietnamese coriander this spring and it has taken off. If you like the taste of fresh cilantro and you can get your hands on this at an Asian market, I strongly recommend giving it a try. It's like cilantro turned up to 11.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 11:18 AM on June 13, 2022 [3 favorites]


Growing up in Central America, my Mom would use Culantro all the time, especially to make Recaito. When I moved back to the U.S., no one seemed to know what I was referring to (unless maybe they were latino.) I still remember the first time I had pho where I currently live, and being surprised that the little plate of veggies served with my pho had Culantro on it! I think some call it saw-leaf coriander, and here where I live, I can only find it in Chinatown; none of the local supermarkets carry it.
At any rate, one of my favorite herbs, and definitely evokes memories of home.
posted by KillaSeal at 11:46 AM on June 13, 2022 [4 favorites]


My beloved market basket grocery store carries both Cilantro and Culantro, and crucially their Cilantro usually still has its root, which (after washing) add a strong cilantro flavor, more powerful than the leaves and stems to whatever you're cooking.
posted by youthenrage at 12:09 PM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]


Thanks for this, I put handfuls of cilantro on just about everything so will try this if I have a chance.
posted by blue shadows at 2:15 PM on June 13, 2022


Yes, like cilantro but more intense! How well they know me...

So basically the intensity scale looks like
Radioactive Parsley < Cilantro < Cilantro Roots < Culantro < Culantro-flavored Bear Spray?
Can't wait to try it.
posted by kleinsteradikaleminderheit at 2:27 PM on June 13, 2022


Next on Hot Ones: Ghost Culantro Roots.
posted by Bee'sWing at 2:31 PM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]


Here in Puerto Rico, cilantro/coriander is called cilantrillo. And recao literally grows like a weed — if I want some I just need to walk outside and look for the serrated leaves in various places where there tends to be a patch.

For me, although the flavor is definitely different, a substitution would not usually be glaringly obvious unless the cook used a lot of recao. In a pinch, I’ve successfully used recao in Middle Eastern / North African dishes that call for cilantro, and made recaito with cilantro many times. (However, this only applies as a cooked aromatic; recao is not very pleasant as a fresh herb.)
posted by mubba at 2:34 PM on June 13, 2022 [5 favorites]


Another plus: culantro lasts way longer in the fridge before going bad.
posted by Jon_Evil at 3:26 PM on June 13, 2022


I don’t find that culantro tastes anything like cilantro. It’s more savory and like a cousin to tarragon maybe. It is definitely strong though. The best Pho I’ve ever had in my entire life was in a strip mall somewhere in LA (I’ve never been to Vietnam) and one of the garnishes along with basil and bean sprouts etc was culantro and to me that’s it’s highest usage.

Cilantro is the Spanish word for coriander.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 3:33 PM on June 13, 2022


"but the most common among Anglophones is culantro" -- that's good because after seeing Foetidum in its name I was expecting that it might be a name common among Francophones.
posted by BCMagee at 5:48 PM on June 13, 2022 [2 favorites]


and crucially their Cilantro usually still has its root, which (after washing)

Haha yes! OMG the sand. Mistake I've made, maybe because it's a bit trickier washing all those soft, sticking together leaves and roots properly.
posted by Zumbador at 8:45 PM on June 13, 2022


More on culantro from Serious Eats
posted by Kerwin15 at 10:51 PM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]


With all your posts about peppers, thouroughburro, I was on your side. But, now...

Something with stronger flavor than Cilantro, yum?

You are dead to me...
posted by Windopaene at 10:57 PM on June 13, 2022


I first tried this in a recipe from somewhere in the Caribbean in .. Saveur Magazine? It was so good, but I’ve always had trouble finding it. Especially here in Amsterdam. I finally got some seeds to germinate this spring and now I have four small plants. I’m reading through and taking notes from thoroughburro’s post, so hopefully I’ll be able to germinate some more. I succeeded this spring by putting the seeds (in damp paper towels or small pots of potting soil, I don’t remember) on the radiator and being VERY patient. Totally worth it.
posted by antinomia at 11:57 PM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]


the most common among Anglophones is culantro, which hints at its flavor

Like if cilantro tasted more like ass?
posted by acb at 3:46 AM on June 14, 2022 [1 favorite]


nearly identical to cilantro, but much stronger

Is this supposed to be a selling point?
posted by kevinbelt at 6:27 AM on June 14, 2022 [1 favorite]


he most common among Anglophones is culantro, which hints at its flavor

Like if cilantro tasted more like ass?
posted by acb at 6:46 AM on June 14 [1 favorite +] [!]


I had this thought too, like cul-de-sac. Also, the foetidum species name is not helping it.
posted by Bee'sWing at 7:44 AM on June 14, 2022


Asafoetida is great too.

[Not for everyone, you don’t have to eat anything you don’t like, but come on people: you are literally yucking our yum by making fun of names.]
posted by clew at 9:25 AM on June 14, 2022 [5 favorites]


I was missing the taste of chuletas guisadas and here in Denmark "culantro" is nowhere to be found. We do have "cilantro" though in the supermarkets as "koriander". UNTIL some recipe wrote the MAGIC WORDS "known in Vietnam as ngo gai", and THIS I could find in the asian specialty stores! I recognised the smell immediately and got to work making recaito, and froze the excess.

soooo good!
posted by alchemist at 10:24 AM on June 14, 2022 [3 favorites]


[Not for everyone, you don’t have to eat anything you don’t like, but come on people: you are literally yucking our yum by making fun of names.]

You're right. I apologize.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:00 PM on June 14, 2022 [3 favorites]


> The best Pho I’ve ever had in my entire life was in a strip mall somewhere in LA (I’ve never been to Vietnam) and one of the garnishes along with basil and bean sprouts etc was culantro and to me that’s it’s highest usage.

That was the first time I encountered culantro, as a pho accompaniment. I'd never seen it before but since this was at a Vietnamese restaurant in a strip mall in one of the Detroit suburbs, where we seemed to be the only non-Vietnamese patrons, we figured it wasn't some random substitution. And it was great in pho!
posted by needled at 6:50 AM on June 15, 2022


After meaning to do so for years, I bought some packets of culantro seeds this spring, and have been trying to start them for a while. I haven't had any luck starting them in the garden, but maybe I'll have more luck with the ones I sewed in a pot on the porch last week. On that note, I'll go give them their morning misting…
posted by JiBB at 11:01 AM on June 15, 2022


Try a few in a damp paper towel in a little ziplock in your pocket. Just until they break dormancy, then a warm place like basil seedlings.

(Have not succeeded in this, have been looking at how to germinate very warm weather plants. Many need more warmth to sprout than to grow, but don't need light or much oxygen at that stage.)
posted by clew at 2:23 PM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]


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