Culantro / Long Coriander

What it is

Eryngium foetidum, a low rosette of long, serrated, sword-shaped leaves with a tough texture — **not the same plant as cilantro/coriander (Coriandrum sativum)**, though the flavor is a strong, concentrated version of it. Known as recao/culantro (Puerto Rico/Caribbean), ngò gai (Vietnam), shado beni/chadon beni (Trinidad), bandhania (India), fitweed, and "sawtooth herb."

How it's made

Grown as a leafy herb in warm climates; the sturdy leaves are tougher than cilantro and hold up to cooking far better. Used fresh (chopped) and, because the flavor survives heat, simmered into dishes — unlike cilantro, which is mostly a raw finish. Dries and freezes reasonably for an herb.

Flavor profile

Like cilantro but several times more intense — pungent, soapy-to-some, deeply herbal, with a stronger, almost musky green funk and a hint of bitterness. A little goes far. (Those with the genetic "cilantro tastes like soap" trait usually find culantro even more so.)

Culinary uses

The backbone of Puerto Rican/Dominican sofrito and recaíto (with ají dulce, garlic, onion, pepper); pounded into Caribbean green seasoning (chadon beni in Trinidad); a classic raw garnish for Vietnamese phở and bún; in Thai/Lao salads and soups; in Latin American stews. Pairs with garlic, ají/chili, lime, beans, and rice.

Regional variations

Caribbean cooking (recao/recaíto, green seasoning) treats it as foundational, often cooked. Southeast Asian cooking (ngò gai) uses it fresh as a table herb. South Asian and Latin American cuisines use it in stews and chutneys. The same plant under many names spans the tropics.

Cultural & historical context

Native to the tropical Americas and spread worldwide through trade and migration, Eryngium foetidum became indispensable across Caribbean, Latin, Southeast Asian, and South Asian cooking — a remarkable example of one herb naturalizing into many distant cuisines under many names. In the Caribbean, recao is the herb that makes sofrito taste like home.

Substitution & sourcing — Cilantro substitutes for flavor direction but is milder and won't survive long cooking — use more of it, added later; the depth of recaíto is hard to match without culantro. Buy fresh at Caribbean, Latin, and Southeast Asian groceries (often in clamshells or bunches); choose firm, unwilted rosettes. Keeps better than cilantro; can be frozen for sofrito.

Reference notes

Tags: `aromatic`, `herb`, `cooks-well`, `not-cilantro`, `many-names`. Related ingredients: [Epazote], cilantro, ají dulce. Related cuisines: Puerto Rican, Dominican, Trinidadian, Vietnamese, Thai. Suggested links: the culantro-vs-cilantro disambiguation; a sofrito/recaíto note; the many-names map.