Cilantro is one of my favorite herbs and I always eat the leaves as well as the stalks. But I had never considered eating the roots until I heard Bal Arneson talk about it on her show The Spice Goddess. She said that the roots of the cilantro plant are the most flavorful part. She also said that because the skin of ginger root contains much of the flavor, she never peels it.
These ideas seemed shocking to me but intriguing at the same time. So I tried them for myself and found she was right. Cilantro roots and ginger skins do taste good. Leaving the whole ginger root intact doesn't only add flavor; it also saves me the time and trouble of peeling it. I always rinse ginger but now I never peel it either.
And I buy cilantro with the roots attached whenever I can. After I rinse it thoroughly, I remove any tiny hair-like roots and finely chop the larger roots, which I add to salads, soups, and stir fry.
Recipes featuring ginger and cilantro:
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