cilantro or coriander

[Jaye]

Which word is more commonly used in North America. Cilantro or coriander. I want to use it in a gardening context ie. about growing herbs like basil, parsley and coriander on a windowsill.
Thanks.

[JD]

Jaye

Hi. I believe it's cilantro - at least it is here in Canada. When I first relocated, I couldn't find fresh coriander anywhere - not until I realised that it wasn't actually called coriander! I believe in N America, cilantro refers to the green, leafy herb, but the seed is still called coriander (e.g. ground coriander).

Cheers,

Jane

[LindaM]

Hi Jaye,

With regard to the fresh herb or plant, we refer to it as cilantro in the U.S. Coriander is only used in relation to the dried, bottled variety.

Linda

[Celeste Stewart]

In Southern California, cilantro is the leafy part and coriander is the seed. We use the cilantro in fresh salsa an Mexican recipes while corinader is used sparingly as a spice.

[Jaye]

Thanks all!