Culantro

If you enjoy cilantro, you’re going to love culantro!

Culantro (Mokkie) CC BY-SA 3.0

Culantro (Eryngium foetidum) is a distant relative to cilantro, but don’t let the name similarities confuse you. This herb is more pungent and bitter. But it does wonders for stimulating the appetite and adding depth of flavor to many South and Central American and East Asian dishes.

Culantro is a low-growing tropical plant with saw-toothed leaves that grow in a rosette form.

You can grow culantro from seed or buy seedlings.

​These seeds need light to germinate, so do not cover them with soil. Instead, scatter them over pre-moistened soil and mist occasionally until they sprout. These seeds take their time sprouting, so be patient.

Native to Central America, culantro can be grown outside in a sunny spot or on an apartment windowsill. These biennials produce leaves the first year and flowers the next.

​Harvest culantro leaves before flowering begins. Once plants shift their focus from leaves to flowers, they don’t taste as good, but you can get seeds for another crop!

Culantro in flower (Mokkie) CC BY-SA 3.0

When transplanting, space plants 12” apart. Unlike most herbs, culantro prefers soil that stays moist. Mulching around (but not touching) these plants can help stabilize soil moisture and reduce competition from weeds.

​Culantro is relatively pest- and disease-free. Its umbrella-shaped flowers attract several beneficial insects, such as hoverflies and lacewings.
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The best reason for growing culantro is its delicious flavor.