Cilantro is an herb that comes from the fresh leaves of the coriander plant. The plant’s dried seeds are known as coriander.
This plant somehow managed to provide us with two ingredients that are used regularly in cooking all over the world. But how much of the plant can you actually eat, and what can be done with parts such as the stem?
Cilantro stems are edible, both raw and cooked. The cilantro stem can be used along with the leaves as there’s little difference in taste between the two, the main difference being that the stem is a bit more potent. Chop the cilantro stems with the leaves and use them in a salad, salsa, stir-fry, or sprinkle over any dish of your choice.
Using as much of the plant as possible is definitely a way to minimize waste, which we should promote as much as possible.
Preparing, cooking, and eating these rather unusual parts of the herb or plant can be a daunting task for someone who has thrown them in the trash can before.
The stem can be a bit fibrous and woody the further away you get from the leaves, and if you find the stem’s texture unpleasant you can cut the stem closer to the leaves to make sure you get the softer parts of the stem.
You can take a bite out of the stem to determine if the texture is to your liking or not.
Can You Eat All Parts of Cilantro?
Yes, you can eat all parts of the cilantro but you shouldn’t expect all parts to carry the same flavor. The seeds have a mild citrus-peppery taste, the roots have a sweet citrus taste, and both the leaves and stem have a fresh herbal peppery taste.
So, when purchasing cilantro there’s really no need to discard anything, as every part can be brought to use with a little bit of creativity.
Stems and roots coming from the same plant as vegetables or herbs oftentimes carry tremendous amounts of flavor, and cilantro is no exception. This makes them perfect for broth, stock, salsas, soups, and much more.
Are Cilantro Stems Bitter?
Cilantro stems have a taste very similar to that of the cilantro leaves, but a bit more potent. It’s a fresh herbal taste – sometimes described as:
- Fresh
- Citrusy
- Mild sweetness
- Peppery (I used to describe it as “the taste of earth”)
You may have heard that cilantro (and its stems) can have a bitter taste. Usually, cilantro stems and leaves aren’t bitter in flavor. It seems like cilantro is one of those things that you either like or get disgusted by.
People who love it describe the taste as sweet, fresh, herbal, peppery, citrusy, while people who don’t like it say it tastes like soap (among other things) – and there’s a reason for that.
Fascinating enough, it seems like there’s a biological reason why some people taste a soapy flavor when eating cilantro.
I’m not saying personal preference isn’t the primary reason for them not liking cilantro because it surely is, I’m just saying there’s something else going on that’s quite interesting.
Apparently, we have something called olfactory-receptor genes in our bodies. People who can sense the soapy flavor often have a variation in a group of these receptors.
This variation causes them to sense the soapy taste of the aldehyde in the cilantro much stronger than people without the receptor variation.
Can You Chop Cilantro With the Stems?
You don’t need to pick the cilantro leaves from the stems, they can be chopped up together. The cilantro stem is edible and will mix very well with the leaves.
You can cut as much of the stem as possible and then chop them separately if you don’t want to mix the entire stem with the leaves.
Just grab the cilantro by the leaves, place it on a chopping board, and cut the stem closer to the “bush” – then chop them up separately.
You will end up with a few pieces of stem with your leaves but it won’t be much. Besides, it will be the part of the stem that’s closest to the leaves, which means it’s the softest part of the stem.
You may end up with thick stem parts that you don’t wish to use in the other batch though. In that case, mix them with other herbs to make an incredibly tasty vegetable stock mix or turn them into herb salt.
What To Do With Cilantro Stems?
We’ve mentioned a couple of things that your leftover cilantro stems can be used for – but we’ve only touched the surface of what’s possible.
Cilantro stems can be used for a lot of different things. In the end, it comes down to personal preference – but here’s a list of things to inspire you.
- Salsas: Cilantro stems go great together with the leaves in salsa, and it definitely adds flavor. Make sure to chop the stems into smaller pieces to avoid chunks of rough stem in your salsa.
- Vegetable stock: You can mix your cilantro stems together with other vegetable stems, roots, or leaves to make a delicious vegetable stock mix. This is something we do regularly with our leftovers and it’s absolutely delicious.
- Use as topping: You can sprinke your finely-chopped cilantro stems and leaves on top of food. I regularly do this when I’m preparing quesadillas, fajitas, or empanadas. You must try this!
- Pulverize: Pulverize the stems and use them for hummus, juice, chutneys or slaws.
- Salads: Chop the stems into small pieces and mix them into a salad.
Use your imagination. Cilantro and its stems can be used wherever your taste buds desire.