"Mark Zanger" > wrote...
> Cilantro would have come from Southern Spain, and was adapted because it
> has the same flavor as the native herb, recao.

I suspect that cilantro/coriander came to Southern Spain from Asia, probably
originally as the familiar "coriander" version, likely moving in during the
period of Islami expansion. Since it's use in Spain is most often the seed,
while in the New World it stands in for recao much harder to cultivate in
quantity or commercially (and now replaced often by cilantro in commercial
preparations
Recao/"Culantro" (closely related)

>has the additional quality of keeping its flavor in stews. It is also known
>as culantro in some places.
>
>
> --
> -Mark H. Zanger
> author, The American History Cookbook, The American Ethnic Cookbook for
> Students
> www.ethnicook.com
> www.historycook.com
>
> "TOliver" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Gunner" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Does anyone have info or thoughts, preferably able to be verified or
>>> referenced , on when and how Cumin was introduced into the new world.
>>> Indentured East(Asian) Indians in the Caribbean, early 1800, the
>>> Spanish in Mexico, early to mid 1500s, or perhaps the Texican theory of
>>> the Canary Islands immigrants in San Antonio approx. 1720.
>>>
>>
>> Familiar with the use of Cumin/comino in TexMex cookery, especially its
>> lavish addition to the traditionally San Antonio chile/chili con carne
>> recipes, I espouse that view. Of course, cumin's use on the
>> Mediterranean littoral must have been widespread. One of the Maltese
>> "archipelago" is "Comino", and the spice certainly shows up in Middle
>> Eastern cuisines.
>>
>> I suspect the answer is that it took all three introductions, but would
>> have "stuck" with any one....(and certainly "jerk" seasoning seems Asian
>> based to me).
>>
>> The widespread use of cilantro in many of Mexico's regional cuisiane
>> seems harder to track. Chinese parsely/coriander via the manila Galleons
>> or what?
>>
>> TMO
>>
>
>