I store spices in my designated baking area. Herbs are in another cupboard close to where I make casseroles and soups. For nearly forty years, coriander had an alphabetically assigned position between cloves and cream of tartar in my baking ingredients cupboard because I had used it in recipes alongside cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. However, in a Healthy Bison Chili that I made recently (click on link for recipe and see my tweaks at bottom of post), coriander teams up with chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. I was confused. Is coriander considered a spice or an herb? I learned that the answer is both because two parts of the plant are used. The leaf, which resembles its cousin flat-leafed parsley, is the first stage of the plant's life cycle. It is called cilantro (sih-LAHN-troh) and it is used both fresh and dried. After the plant flowers and develops seeds, it is referred to as coriander. The seed, which is ground into a powder, is an essential ingredient in curry powder and Garam Masala. Every part of the plant, in varying stages of its growth, is edible including its root which may be used as a substitute for garlic. For the first time, my jar of coriander is making new friends in my herb cupboard positioned between chili powder and cumin. (L Photo: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach)
What is the flavor of coriander? Fine Cooking Magazine describes it as having "a warm, spicy-sweet scent and flavor that's slightly lemony, warm, and pine-y with a whiff of caraway." That pretty much covers the spice-herb spectrum, which may add to the confusion regarding whether it should be considered a spice or an herb.
*Changes I made when preparing the Healthy Bison Chili: 2 lbs 1 lb ground bison, 3 poblano peppers (I omitted), 6 tbsp 1 tbsp Mexican chili powder, one 14.5-ounce can whole fire-roasted tomatoes stewed tomatoes + ½ box fresh cherry tomatoes sliced in half + 1 c Knudsen’s Very Veggie Juice, one 15.5-ounce can white hominy (I omitted)