Cilantro vs persley
There’s often confusion between these two wonderful culinary herbs, for
both cooks and gardeners. Cilantro and flat-leaf parsley have similar uses
and are practically twins of each other, visually, but they do have distinct
di�erences. This article clarifies their individual characteristics, including
their growth habits.
It’s a good day on the blog when I get to talk about two of my favorite,
most useful, fresh herbs: cilantro and parsley. As a cooking educator, I
often get questions about when to use which. And in the garden, there are
often assumptions that they grow similarly to each other, which is not
quite the case.
A couple of notes before we get started. In the U.S., we refer to the green
leaves of cilantro as cilantro, while in Europe and India they’re called
coriander. In the U.S., coriander are the seeds of the cilantro plant.
There are two main types of parsley: flat-leaf (or Italian) and curly. Flat-leaf
parsley has a strong, herbal, grassy flavor. Curly parsley, on the other
hand, is mild in flavor and papery in texture and is usually used just as a
garnish. All references to “parsley” in this article will be referencing flat-
leaf parsley.
Now, let’s get to the deets!
Botanical Overview
Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) — Cilantro (formerly known as Chinese
parsley) is a member of the Apiaceae family, and is actually related to
parsley. Not surprisingly, given their appearance.
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) — As noted above, parsley is related to
cilantro and is also a member of the Apiaceae family, which includes
carrots, fennel, chervil, dill, cumin, lovage, celery, parsnips, Queen Anne’s
lace, and more.
Some members of this family — including parsley, dill, carrots, and
parsnips — have interesting blooming habits, where the seed-producing
flowers are huge, showy, umbrella-like structures, known as umbels, with
tiny yellow or white flowers.
Flavor
Cilantro: Also known as coriander in Europe and India, cilantro has a
distinct, pungent flavor often described as fresh, citrusy, and slightly
peppery. Most people have a love/hate relationship with cilantro because
of the presence of aldehydes, which some perceive as a soapy or metallic
flavor. But for those of us where cilantro doesn’t taste like soap, it’s a much
beloved herb that’s crucial in salsas and guacamole.
Parsley: Flat-leaf parsley has a more robust flavor, described as fresh,
slightly bitter, grassy and earthy with pepper undertones, making it
suitable for a variety of dishes, especially within Italian cuisine.
Plant Life Cycle
Cilantro: Cilantro is an annual plant, meaning it completes its life cycle —
grows from seed, produces leaves, and then flowers to produce seeds — in
one growing season, and does not survive from one year to another.
Cilantro is distinctly a cool-weather plant and will bolt (go to seed) as soon
as the weather turns hot. This, of course, is a real bummer for salsa lovers,
as cilantro’s growing season does not overlap with onions, tomatoes, and
peppers.
Cilantro is easy to grow from seed, and also easily produces seed. When
the plant produces flowers, leave it be, and you’ll see seeds appear soon
enough. Interestingly, the young, tender, bright green seeds are edible and
delicious — pick a few for a treat in your green salads.
Mature seeds will dry out to brown, and can be ground into the spice
known as coriander, or saved to replant next year.
Parsley: Parsley, like many other species in the Apiaceae family, including
carrots, is actually a biennial plant, which means it takes two years to
complete its life cycle. It grows delicious, edible leaves in its first year and
dies back. Then resprouts in the spring of the second year to produce
flowers and seeds. Seeds that drop to the ground can sprout the following
year as a first-year plant, beginning the cycle anew.
Most gardeners grow parsley as an annual reseeding fresh every year. My
parsley garden, however, contains both first and second-year plants, so I
have a yearly supply of fresh parsley without having to reseed each year.
Second-year plants do have green foliage, but they’re easy to tell apart
from first-year plants, as the leaves are long and spindly and definitely not
very flavorful.
Growing Conditions
Cilantro — As mentioned above, cilantro is a cool-weather plant and grows
best in the spring. You can plant seeds as soon as the soil warms
su�ciently. Or sow them in containers, which is what I normally do.
Unfortunately, cilantro will bolt as soon as the weather gets hot, even if
only briefly. Here in the Ohio Valley, we usually have a freak 90ºF hot
streak over Memorial Day weekend before cooling back down to normal
June temps. That small stretch is enough to send plants into flowering
mode.
Like most herbs, cilantro prefers loamy, well-draining soil and even
watering throughout its short growing cycle.
Parsley — Parsley is much hardier than its cousin, cilantro, and can tolerate
a wide variety of conditions. Sow parsley seeds in late spring, when the
threat of frost and snow has passed. Seeds will take a while to germinate,
so be patient.
Parsley grows well in loamy, well-draining soil and thrives in full sun or
partial shade. I always plant parsley in its own in-ground bed, because it’s
quite prolific and, with enough seeding, can grow into a large, bushy bed.
One really cool thing about flat-leaf parsley is that it can survive cold
temperatures surprisingly well. In fact, one winter, as an experiment, I
draped a row cover over an entire first-year crop, and the plants lasted
well into February, full-flavored and everything. Here’s a photo of the
experiment in late December that year:
I do believe the plants would’ve lasted even longer if we hadn’t had a
significant snowstorm that tore down the row covers and flattened the
bed with wet, heavy snow.
