Cilantro. I’m predicting that in the next few days you’ll probably eat a dish prepared with this flavorful citrusy herb.

Why? Well, Cinco de Mayo is just a few days away, and cilantro has become the go-to herb for most of the Mexican food we eat this country. I won’t bother telling you that REAL Mexican food isn’t buried under a pile of this chopped green stuff because that might spoil your Drinko de Mayo fun.

That sounded a little ugly, didn’t it? Sorry. Let’s move on…

Cilantro, which comes from the coriander seed, was first grown in Greece… so it garnished gyros long before it topped those food truck tacos. Because it’s considered both an herb and a spice (since the leaves and seeds are used), cilantro/coriander is popular around the world. Think about that. You’ll find it in Indian food, Chinese food, Thai food and Central and South American food. Wow.

But cilantro is definitely an acquired taste. My daughter, Sistie, says it tastes grassy and green. I’ve heard others say it tastes like soap. I know a food scientist who thinks some people are born with a gene that makes them not like it. Maybe that’s why cilantro is not particularly popular in Europe and in the Mediterranean (but the coriander seed is used).

Cilantro is also known for its medicinal powers. I was once given a cilantro tea (when I was in the jungles of Nicaragua) to soothe a stomach ailment. It has been called the “anti-diabetic” herb (because it supposedly helps the secretion of insulin). Long ago in China, it’s was thought of as an aphrodisiac, (like in that West and South Asian collection of stories, “The Thousand and One Nights,” remember?).

Cilantro is mostly used as a garnish because it loses its flavor if it’s cooked for a long time. If you try to puree cilantro, its vibrant color and flavor quickly fade… unless it’s blended with oil (like in Chimichurri).

The best way to store cilantro is to cut off the lower stems, wash it really well, roll it in a damp paper towel and refrigerate it in a plastic bag. You can also snip off the bottom stems, make a bouquet, immerse it in a glass filled with a little water and cover it with a plastic bag.

Before you’re ready to chop cilantro, make sure it’s thoroughly dry or it will clump together. Gather the leaf ends together in a bunch and, using a sharp knife, thinly slice across the cilantro in one direction. Don’t randomly chop or you’ll bruise the tender leaves and they’ll turn black!

Oh, one other thing. Don’t buy dried cilantro. It’s worthless. That stuff really does taste like grass!

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I food poisoned myself… and the same thing could happen to you.

Quite simply… I didn’t wash my vegetables carefully enough. Self-inflicted food poisoning.

How many times have you bought fresh veggies, given them a quick wash and then added them to whatever you were preparing? Didn’t think twice about it, did you?

But how do you know if that cilantro wasn’t accidentally dropped on the supermarket floor, then returned to the shelf and nestled in with the other bunches? It looked okay… green and fresh and supermarket floor dirty.

And what about those apples? No bruises, right? Well maybe the person who was searching for the perfect apple just before you had something very contagious and touched the very same apples you’re carting home. Sure, you’ll wash them… but how well?

I could go on and on and get even more gross, but there’s no reason to… you get the drift.

For a while I was using Rebel Green Fruit and Veggie Clean…. but I ran out and didn’t replace it. Mistake. Rebel Green is made with all natural ingredients that lab tests have proven remove some of the most common strains of bacteria and pesticides on fresh produce… more effective than rinsing with water alone.

I’ve pulled together some more quick tips to keep your family safe and prevent foodborne illness in your home.

David asks: Many meat recipes say “slice across the grain.” What does that mean? Is it really that important?

For the answer, I turned to Butcher Denise Zier of Zier’s Prime Meats. She says all meat has a definite grain running lengthwise through it… some of it finer (rib-eye, tenderloin) than others (flank steak, skirt steak). The grain is the direction of the muscle fibers. It is easier to see when the meat is raw.

After the meat is cooked, look at it closely. If you cut with the grain, the meat will be very chewy. If you cut it across the grain, you’ll be shortening the muscle fiber making it much easier to chew.

It all has to do with the angle at which the meat is sliced. You don’t want to cut with your knife parallel to the grain… it’ll be tough to eat. Slicing thinly against the grain will cut the muscle fiber into short pieces and make it a much more enjoyable meal!

Here’s my Instagram video of Denise showing you how to cut a cooked flank steak against the grain:

Off topic, but I’ve just got to tell you, I really love it when I see women in unconventional roles… like Denise. She works in the butcher shop right alongside her fabulous husband, Dave, at Zier’s Prime Meats in Wilmette, Illinois. And here’s a shout-out to John Wujkowski… who really knows how to cut veal chops!