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Vietnamese coriander (Polygonum odoratum)

Plant family

Polygonaceae (buckwheat family)

Botanical synonyms

Persicaria odorata

Origin

Vietnamese coriander is native to peninsular Southeast Asia (Indochina).

Used plant part

Leaves, always used fresh

Sensoric quality

The herb has a coriander-like smell with a clear lemony note. Pungency, which dominates in the closely related water pepper, is hardly present..

Main constituents

In the essential oil of Vietnamese coriander, long-chain aldehyds were found, e.g., decanal (28%) and dodecanal (44%), furthermore decanol (11%). Sesquiterpenes (a-humulene, ß-caryophyllene) account for about 15% of the essential oil. (Journal of Essential Oil Research, 9 , 603, 1997)

Vietnamese Coriander sprig

Use

Vietnamese coriander is one of those numerous herbs that give Vietnamese cuisine its unique touch. The herb is, though, also used outside of Vietnam: It appears in Malaysian recipes and is quite typical of the Singaporian cuisine.

Source : www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/spice_welcome.html