Parsley or cilantro?

[Anonymous]

I'm making orzo with lemon and feta for a party tonight. It's an adaptation of a recipe I lost. I have some fresh parsley and some fresh cilantro. I love cilantro but not everyone does. However, the parsley tasted bitter to me when I used some of it the other day. Should I use either?

[Anonymous]

Don't use cilantro, buy some fresh parsley or dill would be even better

[Anonymous]

Cilantro won't suit this dish. Fresh parsley is the best.

[Anonymous]

Lemon and feta call for parsley in my book, even though I love cilantro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lemon and feta call for parsley in my book, even though I love cilantro.

my thoughts exactly

[Anonymous]

I hate parsley, so I would pick cilantro. It goes fine with the rest. When I've made this I used spinach, so it's a different taste anyway-- not as herby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lemon and feta call for parsley in my book, even though I love cilantro.

my thoughts exactly

Yep. Personally I'd love it with cilantro, but it would be odd to most people and those who hate cilantro really hate it. (To some people, it tastes like soap.)
Parsley is the classic herb for this. (Flat parsley, not curly, but you knew that already.)

[Anonymous]

HATE cilantro. Ich. Nasty!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the suggestions! I ended up getting really sick in the afternoon so I'm still in bed and have a gigantic bowl of orzo with lemon and feta and no herbs in the fridge. I guess I can do a taste test on my own as I eat it over the next week.

Incidentally, I think I bought surly leaf parsley. I'm not sure - I grabbed whatever Giant had under the header, "parsley." Is that the bitter kind or did I get a bad bunch? 16:59, thanks for the benefit of the doubt, but I don't know the differences.

[Anonymous]

I do not like parsley. I love cilantro so I would pair it with lots of cilantro

[Anonymous]

Curly parsley is the kind that used to be a garnish on every plate at Howard Johnson's, Bob's Big Boy, etc. It's light green, the stems curl as well as the leaves, and the leaves are tiny. It is bitter and pretty much useless (IMO) unless you are middle eastern. It's an ingredient in some mezze-type things like tabbouleh, but I really don't get the appeal.

Flat parsley, also called Italian parsley, has many more uses, and is the go-to thing in pasta salads. (Also in Thanksgiving stuffing, BTW, along with sage.) If you don't know your herbs, you have to be careful when picking it out because it's easy to confuse with cilantro. Flat parsley leaves are dark green, fairly big for an herb, and pointy on the ends. Cilantro leaves are a little lighter green, a little bit smaller, and a little less pointy. If you're in doubt, sniff. Cilantro has a very distinct smell.

[Anonymous]

12:59, thank you! I know cilantro, because I love it. But I am (was) confused my the different types of parsley. Thank you for clarifying!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HATE cilantro. Ich. Nasty!

+1
Too strong

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't use either. Cilantro could overwhelm this.