Culantro is a tropical herb used primarily as a powerful flavoring ingredient in Latin American, Caribbean, and Southeast Asian cooking. It looks nothing like its more famous relative cilantro: culantro has long, serrated, dark green leaves that grow in a low rosette up to about 45 cm (18 inches) tall, while cilantro has delicate, rounded leaves on thin stems. Despite the similar names, culantro delivers a much more intense, pungent version of that familiar cilantro flavor, which is why it’s a staple in slow-cooked dishes across the tropics.
Culantro vs. Cilantro
The two herbs share the same plant family, and their flavor overlap comes from a similar chemical makeup. Both produce volatile oils composed mostly of aldehydes (over 80%) and compounds called terpenoids, which give them their distinctive aroma. The key difference is intensity. Culantro contains these shared aldehydes in slightly different ratios, making it noticeably more pungent than cilantro. Where you might toss a generous handful of fresh cilantro onto a dish, a single leaf or two of culantro can deliver the same punch.
Cilantro also wilts quickly in heat, which is why it’s typically added fresh at the end of cooking. Culantro holds up far better when cooked, so it’s usually added early in the process to infuse soups, stews, and braises with deep herbal flavor. This heat tolerance is one of the main reasons Caribbean and Latin American cooks prefer it for long-simmered dishes.
Culinary Uses
Culantro works as a flavor booster in soups, stews, beans, rice dishes, and marinades. In Puerto Rico, it’s one of the core ingredients in recaíto, a local variation of sofrito made by blending culantro with garlic, onions, and peppers into a fragrant base for countless dishes. Across the Caribbean and Central America, you’ll find it in everything from black bean soup to slow-braised meats. In Trinidad, it’s essential to green seasoning, the aromatic paste rubbed into chicken, fish, and pork before cooking.
Southeast Asian cuisines rely on it too. In Vietnam, culantro (called ngò gai) is sliced thin and floated on top of pho. In Thailand, it appears in curries and spicy salads. These traditions take advantage of both its robust flavor and its sturdier texture compared to cilantro.
Because the flavor is concentrated, a little goes a long way. You can chop it finely and use it as a fresh garnish, but most cooks add it during the cooking process to let the flavor meld into the dish.
Regional Names to Know
If you’re shopping at international markets, culantro hides behind a long list of names. In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, it’s called recao. In parts of South America, you’ll see it labeled as coentrão or chicória-do-Pará (its Brazilian names), culantro de monte in Ecuador, or siuca culantro in Peru. In Colombia, it sometimes goes by cilantro sabanero. English speakers may also call it long coriander, sawtooth coriander, or Mexican coriander. Its scientific name is Eryngium foetidum.
Traditional Medicinal Uses
Beyond the kitchen, culantro has a long history in folk medicine across Latin America and the Caribbean. Traditional practitioners have used it to treat fevers, stomach aches, diarrhea, constipation, earache, asthma, and even snake bites. In Colombia, the whole plant has been used as an antiseptic and to address nausea, vomiting, headaches, and joint pain.
Modern pharmacological research has started to validate some of these uses. Studies of the plant’s aerial parts have found anti-inflammatory activity linked to compounds in its natural plant sterol fractions. The herb also contains a compound called eryngial that shows activity against intestinal parasites. Lab research has demonstrated selective antibacterial effects against Salmonella species, which aligns with its traditional use for digestive problems. These findings are still largely from laboratory studies rather than clinical trials in humans, but they suggest the herb’s long medicinal reputation has a real chemical basis.
Nutritional Value
Fresh culantro leaves pack a surprising nutritional punch for an herb. Per 100 grams, they provide roughly 515 micrograms of vitamin A (as retinol equivalents), 30 milligrams of vitamin C, 86 milligrams of calcium, and 4.5 milligrams of iron. That iron content is particularly notable, since 4.5 mg represents a meaningful fraction of daily needs. Of course, you’re unlikely to eat 100 grams of culantro in a sitting given its intense flavor, but even small amounts contribute micronutrients to a dish.
How to Store Fresh Culantro
Culantro keeps better than cilantro, but it still benefits from proper storage. Wash the leaves, wrap them in a slightly damp paper towel, and place them in a plastic bag or airtight container in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Stored this way, the leaves stay fresh for about five days, though very dry leaves can last longer. If you use culantro regularly, you can also chop and freeze it in small portions. Frozen culantro loses some texture but retains its flavor well, making it a practical option for adding to cooked dishes.
Growing Culantro at Home
Culantro is one of the few herbs that actually prefers shade. Unlike basil, cilantro, or most vegetables that need full sun, culantro thrives in a shady spot and struggles in direct sunlight. Shade also helps prevent the plant from bolting, which is when it sends up a flower stalk and stops producing flavorful leaves. The plant loves summer heat, which makes it a useful substitute for cilantro during the hottest months when cilantro bolts quickly and turns bitter.
It grows well in containers on a shaded porch or under taller plants in a garden bed. Keep the soil consistently moist, and you can harvest outer leaves as needed while the plant continues producing new growth from the center of its rosette.