On the territory of Russia, it is possible to grow many spicy-aromatic plants, most of which are also medicinal. Their smells affect taste and smell, are able to awaken emotions. It is a great pity that in modern Russian cuisine the range of these useful plants is rather poor. Most often, it is limited to parsley, dill, mint and several other crops, depending on the taste of the owner of the site. But coriander remains undeservedly forgotten.
Coriander is probably the oldest known flavoring plant in human history. It was used in cooking and medicine in ancient Babylon, coriander seeds were found in the ancient Egyptian pyramids, because the ancient Egyptians believed that coriander was one of the essentials in the afterlife. It was used by the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans. It is mentioned in ancient Egyptian papyri, Sanskrit texts and even in the Old Testament. In ancient China, coriander was believed to be able to bestow immortality on a person. It was appreciated not only as a spice and medicinal plant, but also as an additive to wine. Nowadays, coriander, also known as cilantro, is still one of the most popular spices, especially in Asia and the Caucasus.
Coriander (cilantro, kisnets, bedbug, kolyandra) is an annual spicy-flavored vegetable crop. Its name comes from the Greek word "coris", i.e. the bug, obviously, for the bug smell of its unripe fruits and young leaves, which remains on the hands for a long time, if they are slightly crumpled.
Despite its peculiar smell, coriander firmly takes its place as the world leader among spices. The secret of this success is simple - fresh cilantro combined with other herbs and especially, with garlic, just magically transforms. And dry coriander seeds acquire a pleasant aroma and light cool pungency, because in the process of drying, the aldehyde trans-tricedenol-2, which, in fact, is the "culprit" of the very smell of bedbugs, evaporates from the fruits. What's more, dry coriander seeds have an amazing ability to blend into almost any dish, adding a completely unique flavor to each one.
The popularity of this spicy plant is so great in the world that in the early seventies of the twentieth century, the famous French perfumer Jean Couturier created a women's perfume under the same name. Until now, these perfumes are in great demand among fashionistas all over the world. As befits a real perfume masterpiece, Coriander perfume has a complex range of smells: along with the king himself - coriander, you can feel the bitterness of angelica and orange blossom, sweetness of rose and lily, astringency of jasmine and geranium with woody aromas of sandalwood, patchouli and oakmoss. Due to its rich composition, connoisseurs rightfully consider this perfume to be a true masterpiece of aromatherapy. And no smell of bedbugs!
Today, among essential oil crops in Russia, the first place belongs to coriander, which occupies over 75% of all areas under these crops.
 |  |
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) Is an essential oil, spice, vegetable, medicinal and melliferous plant that uses herbs and seeds. Greens are a rich source of rutin, carotene, vitamins C and B group, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Fresh coriander greens are used as a seasoning for meat and vegetable dishes, they are put in soups, sauces, and various seasonings are prepared from it for future use. Seeds with a spicy smell and sweetish taste are widely used in bakery, canning, and everyday cooking.
This is an annual herb from the celery family, up to 1 meter or more, with a thin and fusiform root. Its stem is erect, branched from above. The leaves are alternate, strongly dissected.Basal leaves with long petioles, whole, serrated or three-lobed along the edge. The lower stem leaves are with short petioles, the upper ones are sessile, with slightly pointed lobes. The stems end in complex umbrellas on long peduncles dotted with small white or pink flowers. The outermost flowers of each umbrella are irregular and larger. Coriander blooms from July to August. Its flowers are small, white, pale pink, purple and yellow. They attract many bees to the garden. Fruits of coriander are spherical, brownish-yellow, ripen in September, when pressed, they split into two half-fruits.
All green parts of the plant, incl. and unripe fruits, have an unpleasant smell of bedbugs. But when ripe, the fruits become dry and yellowish-gray and acquire a very pleasant aroma.
Coriander is not particularly heat-demanding. Coriander seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of 6-7 degrees, so they can be sown in the earliest spring. Young plants can withstand frosts down to -6 degrees and below. However, the most favorable temperature for plant growth and development is 22-25 degrees Celsius. This plant has a long daylight hours with a growing season of 45–55 days.
Coriander is hygrophilous and photophilous. The plant's need for soil moisture gradually increases and reaches a maximum by the time of flowering. With a lack of moisture, it quickly forms flowering stems and blooms. In the shade, its seeds ripen slowly, their yield decreases, and the content of essential oil in the seeds decreases.
Coriander is a plant that is demanding on the fertility, structure and moisture of the soil. Structural sandy loam or light loamy soils with a deep arable layer, with a neutral or weak alkaline reaction, are best suited for it. He does not like acidic soils at all. The best precursors for coriander are legumes, potatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower and early white cabbage.
 |  |
Coriander varieties
Recently, many good varieties of coriander have appeared in the trade. Here are just some of them: Preparing the soil for sowing coriander should be started in the fall, immediately after harvesting the predecessor. It is dug up onto a full bayonet of a shovel, bringing in 1 sq. meter of 0.5 buckets of rotted compost, 1 tbsp. spoon of superphosphate and potassium fertilizers. If necessary, on heavy clay soils, it is very useful to add 1 bucket of river sand and low-lying aired peat per 1 sq. meter and lime. In the spring, as soon as the soil allows, it is loosened or dug to a depth of 10-15 cm, adding 1 teaspoon of urea. Sowing seeds begins as early as possible on wet soil at intervals of 15 days until early July, and then continues in August. Seeds are buried in grooves to a depth of 2-3 cm with a row spacing of up to 40 cm. Seedlings appear in 14-20 days. To obtain early greenery, winter sowing of seeds is often practiced. You can grow coriander in early spring by sowing seeds in a greenhouse. To obtain friendly shoots, after sowing, it is necessary to lightly roll the soil. To obtain green coriander, crops are sown from spring to mid-summer, repeating them every 2-3 weeks. When sown in early August, coriander does not form peduncles at all. At the beginning of its development, coriander grows very slowly, especially in thickened crops.During this period, he is very strongly oppressed by weeds. Therefore, the care of crops consists in thinning seedlings at a distance of up to 10 cm when sowing for seeds and 5 cm when sowing on greens, loosening row spacings, watering and removing weeds. Weeds can be partially destroyed by timely harrowing with a light spring rake before emergence and along the emergence across the rows. Plants need to be watered moderately at least 3 times per season, especially during periods of increased leaf growth. But when grown for seeds, it is necessary to water more often, since in the period from stemming to flowering, the plant is demanding on moisture. In the phase of 4–5 leaves, the plants must be fed once with full mineral fertilizer. Harvesting of coriander begins around the second decade of August, when at least 40% of its fruits have become brown. When harvesting brown fruits for seeds, there should be at least 60%. The flower stalks are cut with umbrellas, tied in bunches and dried under a canopy or in a well-ventilated area. After 4-7 days, they are threshed and the seeds are dried. Full ripening of seeds from the moment of cutting the umbrellas lasts up to 4 months (as sowing material). Store coriander seeds in paper or canvas bags in a cool, dry, ventilated place. Coriander leaves are best harvested before the budding phase. They are dried in the usual way, stored in tightly closed glass or porcelain jars or boxes. The taste and aroma of herbs and seeds, as well as their purpose, are slightly different. Cilantro leaves have a fresh aroma, bright taste with a characteristic sharp note. The seeds have a woody aroma, sweetish taste and smell, and are used both whole and ground. Coriander is very good for adding to meat dishes, in the preparation of soups and sauces, and various confectionery. It goes well with beans, beans and kale. Gives an extraordinary flavor to sauerkraut, salted tomatoes, pickled and pickled mushrooms, as well as homemade sausages. It is added to tea, coffee, sbiten, kvass and wine and vodka products. In addition, coriander has an amazing combination with other spices, not clearly standing out among them, but at the same time, brightly enriching its taste and aroma. That is why many popular spice mixtures have been made on the basis of coriander as one of the main components. Fresh cilantro leaves are put in numerous salads, soups and sauces, served as greens for meat dishes, and added to sandwiches. Medicinal and beneficial properties of coriander. Because of the specific smell of this plant, do not underestimate this useful spicy and medicinal herb, find a place for it in your garden and you will never regret it! Based on materials from the newspaper "Ural Gardener"
Agrotechnics
