Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <herbs><cilantro><parsley>
Title: Difference between parsley and coriander(cilantro)?
Question: A lot of falafel recipe calls for both chopped coriander/cilantro and parsley. Online images look the same to me. Is there a difference between the two? Would omission of one drastically change the flavor?

Answers:
sents: text: Coriander leaf/cilantro looks VERY similar to flat leaf parsley.
text: When I have both at the house I sometimes resort to smelling them to know which is which.
text: Cilantro is very strong smelling, and you'd definitely change the flavor of the dish if you left it out.
text: Flat leaf parsley is significantly more subtle and has a much milder flavor and scent.
text: It is not flavorless, and in a recipe that calls for a lot of it, you'd really be missing something by leaving it out.
text: When you've got a recipe that calls for both parsley and cilantro, you're definitely going to be more able to taste/smell the cilantro more than parsley, but they'll both contribute different notes.
text: If you have to leave one out, leave out the parsley, but don't try to make up the volume with more cilantro, as you may wind up overpowering your dish.
text: Just leave the parsley out and proceed as normal.
text: Do not use curly leave parsley in anything--it is tough and virtually flavorless.
text: It is ONLY a garnish and not worth wasting your time on.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/3348/bikeboy389
score: 30
sents: text: Cilantro
text: The leaf on the left is Coriander - it's a slightly lighter green, and has rounder leaves.
text: Botanical Classification Coriandrum sativum is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae.
text: Uses All parts:
text: leaves, roots, stems and seeds are used in cooking either as a garnish, a key ingredient or as a powder.
text: Regions used/found Native to Southern Europe, North Africa and South western Asia.
text: Common in Middle Eastern, European and American cooking.
text: Flavor Seeds when crushed have a warm, nutty, spicy flavor.
text: The leaves have been described to a have 'soapy' taste.
text: Parsley Parsley on the right is a darker green and has more pointy, sharper leaves.
text: Botanical Classification Petroselinum crispum is a biennial herb from the family Apiaceae.
text: Uses Only the leaves are used, chopped and sprinkled as a garnish.
text: Also as part of a bouquet garni (bundle of herbs) to flavor soups and stocks.
text: Regions used/found Use for its leaf in similar way to coriander but has a milder flavor.
text: Flavor
text: The leaves when chopped have a mild flavor.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/45217/user3382203
score: 7
sents: text: Coriander/Cilantro is also known as "Chinese Parsley"... which hints that they are similar , but not quite the same.
text: The parsley you likely typically think of has ruffled, curly leaves and is commonly used as a garnish.
text: Cilantro has flatter leaves and stronger flavor and aroma.
text: You may be able to omit the curly parsley without a drastic change in flavor, but I would recommend not skipping the Cilantro as that will certainly have an impact.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/9345/Farray
score: 2
sents: text: Apart from being green they're quite different, in flavour terms at least.
text: Coriander is deep, earthy, and almost soapy - good with hot and oily food.
text: Parsley - flat not curled which is almost tasteless - is fresh, green and good with fish and cured meats.
text: You can switch but the flavour of the dish will change - if falafel
text: I'd ditch the parsley if I had to choose, but They're both important.
text: In 'older' (pre 1960s before they discovered coriander in the UK) recipes they tended to use the two interchangeably.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/7347/Stuart
score: 2
sents: text: The most obvious visual guide would be to look at how the leaves are connected to the main stalk.
text: Look at each joint where the stem is connected to the little branches (petiole?) to the leaves.
text: for coriander, one leave per joint.
text: But for flat parsley, you can see that at each joint, they branch out to a few more leaves, so it's more than one leave per joint.
text: But if someone tear all the tiny leaves out then I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference!
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/60777/notachef
score: 2
sents: text: In the US, coriander refers to ground coriander seeds, not coriander leaf.
text: Its a brown powder.
text: The seeds are spherical and slightly larger than peppercorns.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/6079/Justin Dearing
score: 1
sents: text: It's the fact that Coriander leaf/cilantro looks VERY similar to flat leaf parsley,I always believe that they are same.
text: Cilantro has flatter leaves and stronger flavor and aroma while Parsley don't.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/17010/coriander leaf
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
While the appearance of coriander/cilantro and its alternative name 'Chinese parsley' suggest that they are very similar to parsley, the flavour and aroma is much stronger and not the same. Parsley can be left out without changing the flavour too much, but without cilantro a meal will taste quite different.
Cilantro and parsley look quite similar but cilantro has a very strong flavor while parsley is more subtle.