Curriculum

Both Mexico and India are hot climate, hygiene-challenged locales, and both use hot peppers as a preservative and to kill pathogens.

Cumin is the spice that makes Chilli taste like Chilli. In this sense of the word Chilli, I'm referring to Chilli con Carne, the Tex-Mex soup poured over a chilli-dog.

Cumin is also one of the big four Indian spices.

Fresh cilantro is what makes salsa taste like salsa.

Coriander is also one of the big four Indian spices.

Cilantro and coriander are the same thing, and the words are interchangeable. In common usage in India, we rarely hear the word cilantro. In America we usually use the word cilantro to refer to the fresh leaves, and we sometimes see the word coriander to refer to dried leaves, seeds and powders.