CORIANDER SEED

(Heb., gadh)./1

The manna eaten by the Israelites in the wilderness was said to be “white like coriander seed” (Ex. 16:31), evidently resembling it not only in color but also in general appearance.—Num. 11:7.

The coriander (Coriandrum sativum, L.) is an annual plant growing about sixteen to twenty inches (40.6 to 50.8 centimeters) high with parsley-like leaves and umbelliferous pink or white flower clusters. The fruit consists of globular seeds, of a grayish-white color and about the size of peppercorn. The Hebrew name is thought to derive from a root word (ga·dhadhʹ), meaning “to penetrate or cut” and hence may describe the fine grooves or furrows that characterize the seeds. The seeds contain an aromatic oil having a pleasant flavor and are used as spice in Oriental cooking and on bakery products, as well as medicinally for minor stomach ailments.

Coriander seed was used in Egypt from ancient times and so was undoubtedly well known to the Israelites before the Exodus. It grows wild in that country as well as in the Palestine area.

[Picture on page 378]

Coriander leaves and blossoms