General Information
Micro Cilantro is very small in size, averaging 5-7 centimeters in length, and has 2-4 flat and broad leaves that connect to a slender, lime green stem. The first set of bright green leaves to open, or the cotyledons, have an elongated blade-shape while the following pair, or the true leaves, have a slightly toothed margin and resemble a tiny version of mature cilantro leaves. Micro Cilantro is crisp and has a sweet, bright citrusy aroma with a clean, bold, classic cilantro flavor finishing with robust notes of pepper and fresh cut grass. It is also most notably without the soapy scent that some say mature cilantro possesses.
History
Cilantro is native to Southern Europe and was thought to have arrived in North America in the late 17th century. Micro Cilantro, however, did not start appearing on menus until the 1980s in the United States. Microgreens became even more popular in the 1990s, with the first documented use of the word microgreen in 1998 in California. Today Micro Cilantro can be found at specialty grocers and select distributors in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
