A brief interlude from my series on the Hortus Eystettensis garden to celebrate a herby event…
My coriander is in flower!
Coriander sativum
Coriander leaves (Cilantro) have , for me, a rather too intense aroma. In European cuisine they are used only in small quantities, although the seeds are used more frequently and have been a common ingredient in the United Kingdom since before the Battle of Hastings! (1066).
However, a Georgian friend once told me to try eating the flowers…
So I tried a flower head, not quite fully opened as he had suggested, on a slice of bread, spread with cream cheese…
Yum!
The texture of the flower is very slightly crunchy and the flavour is not as intense as the leaves. Delicious!
I now look forward to the first flowers every year, and try to resow some so that I get a second crop later on. If you have a coriander plant, please try this. I’m sure you will become as addicted as I am!
(Part Three of the Bastion Garden/Hortus Eystettensis series tomorrow!)
😀
