Where to find culantro?

Can anybody point me to a grocery that sells culantro? [Antonius made a similar request several weeks back in a Daisy Martinez discussion, but I couldn't find a reply.]

We are considering trying to grow some next year, but would like to know where it's available for purchase in the meantime to try our hands at making sofrito.

Zee

I picked some up at Tony's on Elston a couple of weeks ago.

Zee:

I looked at La Unica (link) last week, thinking that would be a likely source, but was disappointed. I guess Tony's is the place to try (thanks, Steve).

A

another place that has it fairly regularly is supermercado morelia, just a little south of howard on clark, they have a pretty good selection of mexican herbs in general - you will ocaasionally see papalo as well and always epazote, usually hoja santa too

the deli selections there have been commented on quite a few times, so search and you'll see folks like their offereings as well

Culantro is sold at a few of the Vietnamese markets on Argyle, as well. I see it at the smaller of two groceries actually on Argyle. Pacific Market a bit further North on Broadway may have it....large produce section.

pd

Recao or culantro are more widely used in Puerto Rican than in Cuban cooking, though my mother-in-law who hails from Oriente (Mayari to be exact) chooses it over cilantro. It clearly cooks better, IMO, though its fibre makes it a little less appealing as a garnish. I find the taste to be fairly easy to distinguish. I'd imagine Humboldt Park stores might have some. The sure bet is Argyle, however. But the packaged stuff is often a little worn-out and relatively expensive.

Better yet, ask if you can buy a bag of the really fresh stuff from Tank. I always ask for extra when I get carry out pho, and they always give me a ton.

Tony's was a big bunch (cilantro or parsley sized) for around $1. I don't know if that's cheap or expensive.

pd, JeffB:

Thanks for the Argyle tip. Thither I shall go.

Amata and I have visited a Puerto Rican grocery in Humboldt Park a couple times (I can't remember the name or address though I know how to get there) and I had hopes to see culantro there but did not. I should have asked, for they likely do carry it sometimes. The produce section is not the great strength of this store but it does have a number of PR specialties.

A

Steve, a buck is cheap. Not as cheap as free a la Tank, but I'm going to Tony's if I have to pay.

Cermak Produce carries a good range of Mexican herbs. I have seen culantro at the store at 4234 North Kedzie but suspect that most if not all of the others carry it.

You know, as best I can tell, culantro is relatively unknown among Mexican cooks. Or make that Mexican produce vendors. I have spoken with many who have never heard of it, by either of its spanish names.

I can guess that it is used on the Mexican Gulf or Caribbean coasts, neither of which is really well-represented in Chicago cuisine-wise, but I don't have any evidence of that.

I wonder who the target buyers are at Tony's and Cermak. Possibly not Mexican Americans.

JeffB wrote:You know, as best I can tell, culantro is relatively unknown among Mexican cooks. Or make that Mexican produce vendors. I have spoken with many who have never heard of it, by either of its spanish names.

I've read a lot about Mexican cooking and shopped in a lot of Mexican stores but haven't come across it once in those contexts. As you say, there must be some other audience targetted at those stores such as Tony's and Cermak that do carry it.

Antonius

Thanks for the solid leads, all.

z

We shop at both Tony's (4137 North Elston) and Cermak Produce ( 4234 North Kedzie) pretty regularly. Both have a diverse clientele with Mexican as the largest single component (perhaps over half). The remaining clientele is very diverse including a fair number of people from this board, a few yuppies, assorted European ethnics (mainly eastern), assorted Central and South Americans, a few in Islamic garb and scattered Asians.

Tony's lists five locations in their ad while Cermak has at least six. We have been in several but nowhere near all of their other stores but not regularly. They both clearly adjust their merchandise to the local market. Cermak has a separate specials ad for the Kedzie store. The demographics around these two stores differ considerably from the areas around some of their other stores.

I have wondered who buys the frozen Peruvian potatoes at Cermak, though.

The presence of increasingly large West Indian, Latin American, and Asian immigrant communities in metropolises of the US, Canada and the UK. creates a large market for culantro and large quantities are exported from Puerto Rico and Trinidad to these areas.

The herb is used extensively in the Caribbean and in Asia particularly in India and Korea. It is used mainly as a seasoning in the preparation of a range of foods, including vegetable and meat dishes, chutneys, preserves, sauces, and snacks. Although used in small quantities, its pungent unique aroma gives the characteristic flavor to the dishes in which it is incorporated and this is responsible for its increasing demand among ethnic populations.

Ramcharan, C. 1999. Culantro: A much utilized, little understood herb. p. 506–509. In: J. Janick (ed.), Perspectives on new crops and new uses. ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA.

E.M.

On the South Side, they got it at the International Market (or whatever it's called) on the west side of Pulaski, just south of the Stevenson (about 4000 South.)

Tony's on Elston had culantro for $1.49/bunch when we were there early this afternoon.

Antonius wrote:

JeffB wrote:You know, as best I can tell, culantro is relatively unknown among Mexican cooks. Or make that Mexican produce vendors. I have spoken with many who have never heard of it, by either of its spanish names.

I've read a lot about Mexican cooking and shopped in a lot of Mexican stores but haven't come across it once in those contexts. As you say, there must be some other audience targetted at those stores such as Tony's and Cermak that do carry it.

Antonius

It's true that I rarely see it fresh in Mexican shops, but I do see it in powdered form, in Goya's Sazon: Culantro y Achiote.

That sort of begs the question. The Goyas are a Spanish (from Spain) family that set up shop in NJ to serve mostly Puerto Rican and Cuban customers. It was not until relatively recently that Goya offered much Mexican food.

One thing that might surprise folks in Chicago and LA is the basic lack of interaction and overlap between Caribbean Latin and Mexican culture [outside of those two cities where both groups have long existed] until quite recently. Growing up in a Spanish/Cuban neighborhood in Tampa, I can assure you that before the mid 1980's most Cubans had no idea what a taco was.

JeffB wrote:That sort of begs the question. The Goyas are a Spanish (from Spain) family that set up shop in NJ to serve mostly Puerto Rican and Cuban customers. It was not until relatively recently that Goya offered much Mexican food.

Yea, verily. I've always assumed that the Sazón with culantro and achiote was one of Goya's Puerto Rican products... Again, I haven't come across culantro in a Mexican context, though I'd add that I wouldn't be shocked to find out it is used to some degree in one of the regions that has some particular historical/cultural/culinary connexions to Cuba and the islands more generally, i.e., Veracruz, the Yucatan coast.

One thing that might surprise folks in Chicago and LA is the basic lack of interaction and overlap between Caribbean Latin and Mexican culture [outside of those two cities where both groups have long existed] until quite recently. Growing up in a Spanish/Cuban neighborhood in Tampa, I can assure you that before the mid 1980's most Cubans had no idea what a taco was.

I grew up in NE Jersey/Manhattan and the Latino presence there was very strong as far back as I can remember. BUT, as you say, it was primarily specifically Puerto Rican, Cuban and to an ever-increasing degree Dominican, and Goya was to those immigrant groups much as Progresso was to the Italians. Mexican food had no presence in the region whatsoever until quite recently. And I believe you are also right regarding Goya's expansion into selling Mexican products: that is a more recent development for the company.

Antonius