OFF THE SHELF
How to tell your cilantro from your Italian parsley

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

Chinese parsley (cilantro)

Italian parsley

Two kinds of parsleys — Italian (aka flat-leaf) and Chinese (aka cilantro or coriander) — can be difficult for less-experienced cooks to tell apart. They do look a bit alike, with largish, flat, lacy, dark green leaves (as opposed to common curly parsley, which is lighter-colored and has smaller leaves). But their flavors are so different that you don't want to make a mistake.

One quick way to identify cilantro is that it's often sold in bunches with the roots on. That helps the delicate herb to remain fresh longer. But I've noticed that some stores sell bunches without roots.

To further compare and contrast:

• Cilantro's stems are wider and lighter colored. Italian parsley's stems are dark green, thin and straw-textured.
• Cilantro leaves are droopy and have a slightly soapy texture to the touch and the tongue. Italian parsley leaves are rather stiff or crisp and, even chopped, retain a chewiness.
• Cilantro has a very distinctive fragrance. It's a musky, assertive smell that's unforgettable once you've smelled it. Cilantro is widely used in Asian and Latin cuisines. Italian parsley has a pepper fragrance but isn't as easy to smell until it's it's chopped or cooked. Its flavor is spicy and very bright. Portuguese call it salsa because it adds a savor to sauces and it's widely used throughout Mediterranean Europe.

For the longest shelf life, store parsley or cilantro with stems in a jar or glass of water in the refrigerator. To prevent cilantro's assertive flavor from attaching to everything in the fridge, food writer Sharon Tyler Herbst suggests placing a plastic bag over the top of the herb, secured to the jar with a rubber band.

Italian parsley can be minced and frozen for later use.