Cilantro. Why?

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  • mix chopped cilantro with lime juice, sour cream (or mayo) and salt. delicious on fish, chicken or a spoon....

    Cilantro. Why not?
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    I bought a very large, very pretty salad for lunch today. About half way in, I got a nice leafy chunk of cilantro in my mouth..... because I was just thinking "You know what would make this salad even more awesome? A big squirt of Dawn dishsoap!" UGHH.

    My lunch, and possibly my life, is ruined. That is so foul, who likes that stuff???? I know that it's some weird genetic fluke that makes it taste like that for some people but omg......thanks a lot, death weed.

    cilantro_no.jpg

    How can you have Thai food without it?

    Although, it's really called Coriander, just FYI.....
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
    One of the first things I learned to say in Arabic was "kusbarra, baad" Which is my broken way of saying MORE CILANTRO! I love it in stews and in salads.. My ABSOLUTE favorite way to eat it is batata harra.. which is potatoes pan fried with garlic, cayenne and cilantro. OMG.. SO GOOOD!


    Now I have the weird genetic thing when it comes to beets.. I want to love them but they always taste like DIRT.. I mean LITERALLY they taste like a big mouthfull of dirt.. and it's not because they are dirty because I scrub and wash them and then peel them and wash them again and they still taste like DIRT... then I looked it up and it seems to be genetic that to some people beets just taste like DIRT.
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,514 Member
    A friend who had a degree in Biology explained that cilantro tastes like soap to some because of genetics. Seriously, it is like free or attached earlobes or the ability to roll your tongue. Sorry to all the folks who drew the genetic short straw. I love the stuff!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Mmmm. I love cilantro.
  • xFamousLastWordsx
    xFamousLastWordsx Posts: 301 Member
    Ugh cilantro is awful, just the thought of it makes me gag :sick:
  • nlewis22
    nlewis22 Posts: 107 Member
    IT IS DISGUSTING!!! Cilantro is vile! Glad I found someone who hates it as much as I do!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    I put cilantro on my balut (dead duck fetus).

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • simplyeater
    simplyeater Posts: 270 Member
    Can I have yours?
  • iceey
    iceey Posts: 354 Member
    i read in a fitness magazine not too long ago (it wasn't on the internet, so i don't know if it was true or not - LOL) that cilantro tasted delicious to some people, to others it tastes like soap. it's entirely genetic, and there doesn't seem to be any middle ground. i love me some cilantro, but to my brother it's nasty. i've tried to grow it 5 times, but my cat keeps eating it. she also ate the oregano and the tarragon.

    Always trust the cat. If they eat cilantro, and oregano and tarragon, they are connoisseurs of good taste and you should listen. Good kitty.
  • iron_jj
    iron_jj Posts: 446 Member
    Cilantro ruins everything.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I've never thought cilantro taste like soap. I don't get it.
  • WanderingLass
    WanderingLass Posts: 86 Member
    My husband thinks it tastes like mildew smells.

    Your husband just described our water.... :sick: :sick: Except it smells like it, too.

    Maybe I should add some yummy cilantro? :wink:
  • celtbell3
    celtbell3 Posts: 738 Member
    It should be used sparingly for the extra punch! Sounds like you got a whole bunch at once - can be overpowering and will definitely stay in your mouth for a long time!
  • super_fast
    super_fast Posts: 63
    cilantro is the life giving spice!
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    I like cilantro. You know what I don't like? Caraway seeds. And radicchio. And Brussels sprouts.
  • xvxCelticWandererxvx
    xvxCelticWandererxvx Posts: 2,890 Member
    Ya, I can only take a bit of it at a time, even in salsas.
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
    Ugh, I have that too. I loooove Chipotle but when they put too much cilantro in their rice it just tastes like someone thought some detergent would taste good in there. Just no. I would love to know what it tastes like for normal people, though!
  • Rivers2k
    Rivers2k Posts: 380 Member
    So glad there are others out there. Cilantro does taste like Soap! Everyone around me thinks I am nuts!

    I have gotten used to just saying no cilantro please no matter where I am at. You don't know where it is going to pop up.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    It should be used sparingly for the extra punch! Sounds like you got a whole bunch at once - can be overpowering and will definitely stay in your mouth for a long time!

    Don't know about this. I can taste ONE cilantro leaf in a salad, and it just destroys it for me.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    I'm with you, cilantro is f***ing disgusting. I can only handle it in tiny, tiny amounts. Preferably dried, not fresh. Ack.
  • krouse83
    krouse83 Posts: 182 Member
    Too much is a bad thing, but its one of my favorite ingredients to add to recipes!
  • blueimp
    blueimp Posts: 230 Member
    In the past I found it very tinny tasting and didn't like it much. But it does help cleanse heavy metal out of the system, which for me is reason enough to eat it. I've come to accept it and appreciate it for its redeeming qualities.
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    I'm one of the lucky ones, I love it. I add it to my pulled pork tacos along with lime juice, queso fresco and diced white onion. ♥
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    I don't mind cilantro either way. I don't notice it's presence or not.

    It makes my husband very sick if he eats it (even if he doesn't know it was in the dish), and it lasts all night. So, we don't cook with it and we always order food without it.
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    Love it.

    20 years ago, on the east coast, I used to pay big bucks for a little bundle of coriander (cilantro). I remember the first time I shopped out here in AZ and they had these big bundles for dirt cheap. I flipped out!
    After about a month, my wife threatened to kill me if I kept finding ways of adding cilantro to every last thing I cooked.
  • JuzDuIt
    JuzDuIt Posts: 222 Member
    YUM!!!!!!!!!!

    Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing

    1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
    1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
    2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
    1 -2 garlic clove
    1/4 cup olive oil
    1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    Directions:
    1Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.2Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    Evidently there is a gene involved with this...

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/cilantro-aversion-gene-study_n_1901124.html

    A new study seeking to better understand why some people have such a strong aversion to cilantro has identified two genetic variants linked to perception of the herb, the most common of which is a gene involved in sensing smells.

    Nature reports that a genetic survey of nearly 30,000 people, led by Nicholas Eriksson at the consumer genetics firm 23andMe, asked participants whether or not cilantro tasted like soap and whether or not they liked it. The strongest-linked variant is traced to a cluster of olfactory-receptor genes that influence smell. One of those genes is OR6A2, which is very sensitive to the aldehyde chemicals that give cilantro its distinctive flavor.

    Eriksson says that nearly half of all Europeans have two copies of this variant, and of those people, 15 percent reported a soapy taste. In contrast, 13 percent of Europeans had no copies, and 11.5 percent of this group said cilantro tasted like soap.


    Took me awhile to get used to it, but I enjoy it now.

    Is there a gene variant that makes men's baby batter taste like pool cleaner?
  • Kimdbro
    Kimdbro Posts: 922 Member
    I haven't read all the pages so this may have been referred to already, but genenticists suggest according to their recent study, that we are genetically predispositioned to like it or hate it. It's definitely a controvercial herb... no one seems to "not mind it" - intstead they HATE it. No one likes it a little... They LOVE it. LOL. I personally can't get enough of it... love it enough to add to nearly every meal I have. Thinking about it now makes me want it. Here's a link to the blog regarding the study:

    http://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/cilantro-love-hate-genetic-trait/
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    I put cilantro on my balut (dead duck fetus).

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    You eat balut! Brave man