Culantro
- Type: annual
- Planting time: in spring, after the last frost
- Features: elongated leaves with strong flavor and fragrance very similar to those of cilantro
- Height: 18 inches
- Light: sun to part shade
- Soil: well drained, let soil surface dry slightly between waterings
- Spacing: 24 inches
- Plant Size: 18 inches tall
- Garden use: great for containers
- Culinary use: Latin American and Asian dishes; an ingredient in recaito seasoning
Culantro is an herb native to Mexico, Central, and South America which has a strong, aromatic scent that fills the air if you brush up against it. This easy-to-grow herb has many culinary uses in Caribbean, Latin American, and Asian cuisine. It is a very popular herb in Panama, Puerto Rico, and other Latin countries. Although used in small amounts, its very strong flavor is used as a seasoning in a wide range of foods including meats, vegetables, and chutneys. It goes by many names: long coriander, false coriander, culantro or recao (Spanish), langer koriander (German), ngo gai (Vietnamese), pak chi farang (Thai), and bhandhanya (Hindi). Like its close relative, cilantro, the plant tends to stretch tall and go to seed in the lengthening days of spring. While culantro and cilantro look different, the leaf aromas are similar, although culantro is stronger. Although it is grown as an annual, it is actually biennial in areas warm enough to let it overwinter.
Some Bonnie Plants varieties may not be available at your local stores, as we select and sell varieties best suited to the growing conditions in each region.
Customer Reviews
- Superb herb! Review by sponge bob
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If you like Cilantro, you will love Culantro because it is more pungent. I found a small plant at a local farmer’s market. We live in San Dimas, California. Does anyone know a nearby retailer that carries this herb? Thanks! (Posted on August 17, 2012)Taste Yield
Pros: Taste
Would you recommend this product to a friend? Definitely yes
Share this review - Hard to find but worth the work. Review by todolomio
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Recao as known in Puerto Rico is the base of all the native dishes, flavor very well when combined with onions and garlic. This an extremely hard to find item. Thanks Bonnie for bringing a piece of home to the middle of PA!! (Posted on May 10, 2012)Taste Yield
Pros: Taste
Would you recommend this product to a friend? Definitely yes
Share this review(4 of 5 people found this review helpful) - Great herb I've been looking for Review by Tolldiva6
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I love this herb it has great flavor but it hard to find but now that's to Bonnie I can have it in my garden. Last year I bought two n they thrived so well that when winter came I put them in a pot n ther still doing fine I\'m gonna put them back out this year. I hope to find more. Great job Bonnie thanks!! (Posted on April 26, 2012)Taste Yield
Pros: Taste
Share this review(8 of 9 people found this review helpful)
