The Original?

During the first unit in the Humanities Food For Thought class I learned how and why humans gathered food; how they domesticated food; how food has changed over time; and how humans and food depend on each other. I learned that we are “walking corn.” I say that because we depend on corn so much. Corn is one of the first and most important foods that we domesticated because literally almost everything is made up of corn. This Action Project was to pick a vegetable or fruit and write an autobiography in first person. I pretended that I was cilantro. I also had to find a way to connect cilantro to my family’s food culture. I chose cilantro because it is mainly used in Mexican dishes and my family uses it a lot. What I learned about my family’s food history is that we mainly like Hispanic dishes because I am Mexican and Puerto Rican. Look at my family food tree that I created down below!

Created by JV "Family Food Tree" 2014*

Think of me as a leader of all spices, I am an original. My name? Well I am Cilantro, also known as Coriander, but that was a long time ago and I have changed since then. I have been used for over 7000 years, and I am one of the oldest spices recorded in history. I am from Southwestern Asia and I have been used by Egyptians and many other cultures. But Egyptians were the first ones to notice me. They used me as food in the afterlife for the departed which was alright, I guess. When the Israelites were freed from Egypt they spread me basically all over the world and changed my life. I was in the Middle East, Asia, North Africa, and Southern Europe. It was pretty amazing to be used in other countries and for different reasons. I wasn’t only used for the afterlife, which by the way sucked because I saw dead people and had to feed them - yuck! I was also used for medical reasons and as a culinary herb. People loved eating me raw, baked, and made into paste - you name it. I am also good for health reasons and I help body odor.

My flavor is fresh with hints of citrus, and believe me, I am strong! My specialty? Being used in Mexican food! My favorite dish to be mixed into is guacamole, which is also my family’s favorite. I know they only eat guacamole on special occasions, because I’m always made for holidays and I overheard them talking about how special I am. I love being made into a paste to spread over baked chicken. I am put into tacos for favor,and I am used in green juices, which are some of my owner’s favorites. I love to grow during the spring when it is 70 to 80 degrees. This weather is perfect for me and I enjoy the intense sunshine. I like to get my tan on.

In the United States, I am grown in California and Florida then, I get shipped to local grocery stores. Once I’m there, people will buy me like crazy and put me in many different kinds of dishes and I love it. I’m not only used on one side of the world anymore but everywhere. I would like to thank my creators, the Egyptians and Israelites, for discovering me and changing me. If I was never discovered I would have died off and wouldn’t be where I am today. Mexican food would basically be nothing without me. I give so much life and favor to so many dishes. People also wouldn’t be as healthy without me and let’s face it, they would smell really bad. My life has been full of flavor and I am so thankful to be a part of this world.

Sources:

“Brief History of Israel and the Jewish people”. science.co.il. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

“Cilantro”. College of Agricultural Sciences. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

“Herb Profiles: Cilantro/ Chinese Parsley/Coriander.” herbinfosite. N.D. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

“Kitchen Dictionary: Cilantro.” food.com. N.D. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.