By The Healthy Chef

It seems that people either love it or hate it, but whatever your palate prefers, there are health benefits to using cilantro in your recipes. So next time you are at the market, pick up a bunch and add it your salads, soups, and salsas, and you may be fighting against unwanted bacteria!

Coriander is considered both an herb and a spice since both its leaves and its seeds are used for cooking. Fresh coriander leaves are more commonly known as cilantro and bear a strong resemblance to Italian flat leaf parsley. This is not surprising owing to the fact that they belong to the same plant family......

Cilantro contains an antibacterial component that may prove to be a safe, natural means of fighting Salmonella, a cause of foodborne illness, suggests a study published in the June 2004 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

Working together, U.S. and Mexican researchers isolated the component which is called dodecenal, and laboratory tests have shown it is twice as effective as the commonly used antibiotic, gentamicin, at killing Salmonella. Since most natural antibacterial agents found in food have weak activity, a chemist who is involved in the study at the University of California, Berkeley, noted, "We were surprised that dodecenal was such a potent antibiotic."

While dodecenal is found incomparable amounts in both the seeds and fresh leaves of coriander, the leaves are usually eaten more frequently since they are one of the main ingredients in salsa, along with tomatoes, onions and green chillies. In addition to dodecenal, eight other antibiotic compounds were isolated from fresh coriander, inspiring the scientists to suggest that dodecenal might be developed as a tasteless food additive to prevent foodborne illness. While this may prove to be a useful idea, who wants to settle for "tasteless" food?

For a recipe full of flavor and taste try the recipe below (thanks to: http://www.jacobsfarm.com/ )

CILANTRO CHUTNEY

2 c. cilantro leaves
2-3 jalapeno peppers, seeds and core removed
1-1/2" wide slice of ginger root, about the thickness of a quarter
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. salt
1 T. ground cumin
1/4 c. shredded unsweetened coconut

Coarsely chop jalapenos. Peel and mince ginger root. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Process until chunky-smooth. Serve with grilled meats. Makes 3/4 cup.