This saw-toothed, low-growing, pungent, green herb is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central, and South America. We first learned about it from Puerto Rican and Dominican friends who call it Recao and for whom it is an essential part of their family Sofrito recipes. In Trinidad, it is known as Chado Beni, and it is also used extensively in Southeast Asia. For many years, because of the difficulty germinating this plant, we have bought seedlings from Vietnamese grocery stores where it is called Ngo` Gai. In English, it is called Culantro (which sounds like the milder and similarly flavored Cilantro, but is different as you can see here). We have been experimenting for several years with seed production of this plant, which would really prefer to be growing in a more tropical climate. The last couple years we've grown it successfully in the shade of our Moringa trees and Upland Rice polycultures.
Our recao informant and former Truelove Seeds apprentice Grimaldi Baez, who is admittedly NOT a mixologist, tinctures the leaves and makes a gin and tonic with them as if they were bitters.
Our recao informant and former Truelove Seeds apprentice Grimaldi Baez, who is admittedly NOT a mixologist, tinctures the leaves and makes a gin and tonic with them as if they were bitters.
