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You are here: Home / Recipes / Salads / Cilantro, cucumber and tomato salad

Cilantro, cucumber and tomato salad

by Jeanne Horak on November 10, 2007 16 Comments in Gluten-free, NaBloPoMo 2007, Salads, Vegan, Vegetable side dishes, Vegetarian, Weekend Herb Blogging

It seems that I am on a roll writing about love-it-or-hate-it foods.

Hands up – who likes fresh coriander leaves, a.k.a. cilantro?  I know I do – and Nick has repeatedly declared that fresh cilantro is his all-time favourite herb.  But as I have discovered, this is not an opinion shared by everyone – to the extent that there is an I Hate Cilantro site on the net, complete with anti-cilantro haikus.  Who would have known?  OK, so the taste is definitely strident (apparently the distinctive smell and taste, sometimes described as “soapy” or “fetid”, of fresh coriander leaves is due to the aldehyde in the leaves’ volatile oil) – but is that a reason to hate the whole plant?!

Cilantro (Coriandrum Sativum) is a member of the Apiaceae family of aromatic plants with hollow stems, together with parsley, anise, fennel, caraway, dill and cumin.  These are so closely related than an allergy to one will usually mean an allergy to all.  Both the seeds (usually dried) and the leaves (fresh or dried) are eaten and the leaves are variously called cilantro, coriander leaf, Chinese parsley and dhania.  A native of Eurasia , it was once apparently commonly used in European cuisine but has now almost totally disappeared, occurring only in dishes originating in foreign cuisines, particularly the cuisines of Asia and Mexico.  (The exception to this rule is Portugal, where cilantro still forms part of the indigenous cuisine.)  The leaves are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, the B vitamin riboflavin and dietary fibre.

Cilantro/coriander has also been used as a medicine for almost as long as a culinary ingredient:  the ancient Egyptians were among the first to use it as such. The Greeks and Romans used crushed coriander leaves to treat ulcers and rheumatism, while both the Chinese and the Greeks believed cilantro to have aphrodisiac properties.  There are even suggestions that cilantro may assist in the removal of heavy metals from the body via a process known as chelation.

As for me, I don’t eat cilantro for my health – like Nick, I eat it because I love the taste – and it seems I’m not alone.  In the Weekend Herb Blogging one year anniversary edition last year, readers voted cilantro to be their favourite herb (although it did get knocked off its perch by basil this year).  But whatever the public says, it will always be a favourite in my house.

CILANTRO, TOMATO & CUCUMBER SALAD (serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 ripe tomatoes
about 2 inches of a cucumber
a bunch of fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves)
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp garam masala

Method

Dice the tomato and cucumber into small cubes.  Wash the cilantro, remove the leaves from the stems.  Mix the vegetables in a bowl before adding the vinegar and garam masala and mixing.

This refreshing salad is excellent with curries, such as the chicken biryani I made last week!

Whb_2_yrs_2I’m submitting this post as my entry to this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, kindly hosted by The Expatriates Kitchen – send your entries to Beth by Sunday.

Follow me every day in November as I complete National Blog Posting Month – a post a day, every day, for 30 days! Here are all my NaBloPoMo ’07 posts so far.

 

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  1. Boots in the Oven says

    November 11, 2007 at 12:02 am

    That looks like such a delicious, light salad! I’ve heard there may be a genetic component behind strident cilantro-hate. Huh.

    Reply
  2. African Vanielje says

    November 11, 2007 at 12:51 am

    Love this one. I usually make the salad with tomato and avocado.

    Reply
  3. Kalyn says

    November 11, 2007 at 1:18 am

    Well, I probably don’t need to tell you, but just to go on the record, I LOVE cilantro. I would eat this any day!

    Reply
  4. Gill says

    November 11, 2007 at 5:09 am

    We are firmly divided in our household on this one – I love it, my husband hates it!

    Reply
  5. ejm says

    November 11, 2007 at 7:03 am

    Count me in the cilantro-lover camp as well.
    -Elizabeth
    P.S. Have you tried green chili, onion and coriander leaf omelette yet?

    Reply
  6. Kit says

    November 11, 2007 at 8:35 am

    I love it, but don’t use it all that often, mostly because the kids aren’t too keen and I always waste half the bag. I’m growing basil this year, so I expect I’ll use plenty of that too.

    Reply
  7. Katie says

    November 11, 2007 at 9:38 am

    Well, someone has to take the dissenting position… Put me in the anti-cilantro camp. One small leaf in a salad and I’m gone! Amazing how strong the opinions about this leaf can be! Almost like Marmite!

    Reply
  8. Coffee & Vanilla says

    November 11, 2007 at 10:34 am

    This salad sounds delicious! I love cilantro and I will definitely try this recipe soon.
    Thank you for sharing, Margot

    Reply
  9. Coffee & Vanilla says

    November 11, 2007 at 10:34 am

    This salad sounds delicious! I love cilantro and I will definitely try this recipe soon.
    Thank you for sharing, Margot

    Reply
  10. Coffee & Vanilla says

    November 11, 2007 at 10:34 am

    This salad sounds delicious! I love cilantro and I will definitely try this recipe soon.
    Thank you for sharing, Margot

    Reply
  11. Moira says

    November 11, 2007 at 2:06 pm

    You may add me to the list of freaky cilantro-lovers, and this recipe will be bookmark-twinned with your biryani for future deliciousness and general all around goodness.
    Your are a NaBloPoMo GODDESS!

    Reply
  12. gay says

    November 12, 2007 at 7:28 am

    This is a very interesting post. And the “I hate cilantro” thing is really an eye-opener. I could never understand some friends who hate cilantro. They’re missing a lot.

    Reply
  13. Mike (Trig's dad) says

    November 12, 2007 at 2:33 pm

    It’s been my favourite herb since I discovered it on honeymoon in 1976. I always keep it fresh and buy it by the bunch every few days.

    Reply
  14. johanna says

    November 12, 2007 at 7:41 pm

    i LOVE frsh coriander! chris has never been too keen, but is slowly coming round to it.
    you know, after living in mexico, i couldn’t find this herb (didn’t know a translation for cilantro either) back home and indeed, it is a very rare find in austria. the first time i travelled to portugal i came across it in a dish and it brought tears to my eyes to find us (me and cilantro) reunited by chance… definitely one of my favourite herbs, with tacos al pastor or without!!!

    Reply
  15. Barbara says

    July 11, 2010 at 9:47 pm

    What is garam masala & where do you find it?

    Reply
  16. HK says

    August 1, 2011 at 9:11 pm

    Help – Newly moved to London and wondering where to buy good fresh herbs, sea salts, and (of course) fresh cilantro in London? W1J area or close by would be ideal but I am willing to travel distances for good spices and produce…. and I LOVE cilantro!

    Reply
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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