Coriander: The unsung hero of all cuisine

A polarising ingredient in much of the world, coriander is an unsung hero of Indian cuisine. And one chef wants to bring it into the limelight, giving it “the glory it deserves”.eek inside any Indian spice box, and you’ll likely find the holy trifecta of spices – turmeric, red chilli powder and ground coriander (often mixed with cumin) ­­– that forms the base of many a curry, lentil or vegetable dish.

Though it lacks the striking ochre hue of haldi (turmeric) and isn’t associated with any of India’s signature red-hot flavours (like chilli powder), coriander (commonly called dhaniya or kothmir in India) is perhaps the most versatile of these spices. Its coarsely ground seeds bring warmth and nuttiness to many dishes, while as a powder, it can be used to thicken curries. As an herb, its fresh stalks and leaves often serve as an aromatic and tangy finishing flavour.

It’s so customary to Indian cooking that pushcart vendors will cheerfully toss a complimentary bunch of fresh coriander (as well as a handful of green chillies) into customers’ bags. Its sheer ubiquity makes it a hero – albeit an unsung one – of Indian cuisine.

Elsewhere in the world, though, dislike towards the herb form of coriander is fierce. Dedicated social media communities diligently denounce it, even commemorating their distaste annually with an international I Hate Coriander Day on 24 February. While those who appreciate the herb describe it as fresh, fragrant and citrusy, those who loathe it claim that it tastes like soap, dirt or bugs – often citing that the name coriander itself comes from the Greek word koris, meaning “bedbug” due to its pungent smell.

Research shows that a dislike for coriander might be inherited due to a genetic variant, which could account for much of its polarised response around the world. However, some studies show that the aversion is less pronounced among South Asians as a result of exposure to its strong flavour during childhood.To South Asians, coriander is much more than just a garnish. Instead of tossing copious amounts of it onto completed dishes as an afterthought – as is customary for the stereotypical “exported” dishes the West most readily associates with Indian cuisine such as tikka masala – South Asians use it deliberately throughout different parts of the cooking process and in many dishes.

What’s in a name?

However, in the US, the word “cilantro” refers to the fresh herb, while “coriander”

While preparing a gravy, coriander powder is typically used alongside turmeric and cumin to add bulk and a slightly sour undertone. Coriander seeds might be added to a tadka, a technique of tempering or “blooming” spices and aromatics by frying them in hot oil and adding them to a dish to infuse and unlock flavour, while leaves are often ground into a tantalising chutney or added sparingly to a yoghurt-based raita. Fresh coriander can also be finely chopped and sprinkled delicately on dishes as a final flourish.

Still, while coriander might be thoroughly enmeshed with Indian cooking, it’s often uncelebrated in the kitchen – its sheer affordability, accessibility and ubiquity leading it to be taken for granted. However, one chef, Ranveer Brar, is trying to change all that.

“Growing up in a Punjabi household, coriander was a very important part of what we ate as a farming family. We’d throw coriander seeds near the water canals, and they’d just sprout there and we’d pluck some to throw in [to our food],” said the author, restaurateur and MasterChef India judge.As he delved deeper into Indian cooking and travelled extensively throughout India, Brar began to appreciate coriander’s various uses throughout regional Indian cuisines.

“From North to South India, [many] states and regions use coriander. Whether it’s as a raw paste or chutney, used with coconut, or the longer fern-like variant in Northeast India that is juicier and deeper, coriander is firmly a part of the cooking repertoire,” he explained. “I like to think of it as a little sensory trigger. The nose comes into play and the entire dish is elevated.”

Yet, the fact that coriander is little appreciated or formally recognised bothered Brar. So, in March 2022, inspired by the traction he received from a lighthearted social media post voicing the same sentiment, he started a petition on Change.org to give humble dhaniya “the glory it deserves” by calling for it to be designated the “national herb of India”. So far, the petition has amassed nearly 32,000 of the 35,000 signatures required to make it one of the top signed on the platform.

“Food without dhania is like a princess without her tiara.”

According to Change.org’s marketing campaigns manager, Madhuri Janaki Zutshi, 87% of the signatures have come from people in India, while the remaining include members of the Indian diaspora. And many shared Brar’s love for it in the comments section of the petition: “Food without dhania is like a princess without her tiara …. I love dhania,” reads one comment; “Indeed, coriander is our national herb, without which we can’t think our dish is complete,” reads another.

The issue has been escalated by Change.org to Pashupati Kumar Para, the Minister of Food Processing Industries in India, who is the stakeholder for officially designating it as the country’s national herb. The petition’s success, said Zutshi, will ultimately be decided by Brar based whether there are tangible results – something he will mark by a red victory flag, which will appear on the petition page above the final signature count.

Cholay (chickpeas) and poori (Credit: Ranveer Brar)Nevertheless, the petition’s ultimate success is perhaps more about an ongoing process than just an end goal. “We believe petitions that move the needle on an issue are successful in their own way,” Zutshi said. For Brar, the call to make coriander India’s national herb wasn’t about activism.

“It was creating this thought and starting a national conversation,” he said. “If Italy has basil and France has marjoram, what is India’s ‘it’ herb? Why can’t we give coriander – that symbolises so much in our country – that space in our heads?”

“If Italy has basil and France has marjoram, what is India’s ‘it’ herb?”

In fact, the ingredient’s place in South Asia cuts much deeper than cooking alone. “Coriander has long been our kitchen doctor,” said Pakistani herbalist Dr Bilquis Shaikh.While the use of coriander dates back millennia and it’s consumed all over the world, in India it traces back to the Vedas and Sanskrit writing (from 6000 BCE and 1500 BCE, respectively), and has long been used as a medicinal herb and functional food promoting wellness in traditional medicine.- BBC