They have a spicy, slightly sweet orange flavor. This herb has a strong distinctive taste and is usually associated with cooking beans because it reportedly aids digestion. Or buy some potted epazote at the garden center or farmers market and you can grow your own. Lucky for us, fresh cilantro is easily found at supermarkets and produce markets in our area. In other parts of the country, cilantro is called fresh coriander or Chinese parsley.
Salsa certainly needs fresh cilantro, as do some sauces, pestos and salads.
At times when I've resorted to commercially prepared, jarred salsa, I have added chopped cilantro and greatly improved the taste. If your recipe calls for leaves only, wash the bunch gently, shake excess water off and blot gently dry. Then using kitchen shears, snip off the leaves where they connect to stems. Add onion, and cook until onion is soft. Add beans, undrained, and tomato sauce.