Cilantro

[darkemeralds]

A Twitter conversation about cilantro yesterday between Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg (Jane vows to try liking it, Drew feels betrayed in their united cilantro hatred) led me to some reading about this poor controversial little leaf, aka coriander and also aka Chinese parsley, which some people regard almost as a poison even as it makes up an important part of several great cuisines.

An NPR article cites some research into the divide. After ruling out taste factors in the leaf, the research found that there's a smell component that cilantro lovers can detect, but which cilantro haters can't. Without that component, the stuff smells like soap. Or bugs.

This interested me because I've been on both sides of the cilantro divide. For most of my life I hated the stuff. It ruined anything it was in, and removed vast swaths of Mexican and Indian cuisine from my enjoyment.

Then a few weeks ago, thanks to a cilantro-centric dish offered by kis when she was visiting, I discovered that I now like it. I suspect my gluten-freedom has something to do with it: a number of my tastes and cravings have undergone such remarkable changes in the last eight months that I hardly know myself. Sinus-clearing alone could account for the shift in olfactory perception.

So, a poll.

Poll #4677 Cilantro

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 20

View Respondents

You and cilantro:

View Answers

Hate
4 (20.0%)

Love
12 (60.0%)

Indifferent
2 (10.0%)

What's cilantro?
2 (10.0%)

Comments

[executrix]

I love cilantro--used to hate it!--but I do think it tastes like soap. But you say that like it's a bad thing! FWIW I also used to hate limes and now I put lime juice in lots of things.

[darkemeralds]

It's certainly true that tastes change as we get older. It's just that cilantro is the only herb/vegetable I know of that has actual hate clubs on Facebook and stuff--there's something very particular about it--and I was on the hate side. That was an unexpected change.

Limes, on the other hand? Lime has been my favorite fruit flavor for as long as I can remember. Mmm...maybe I'll make a lime cake.

[executrix]

Yogurt cake with lime juice and lime zest is SERIOUSLY good, especially with a fruit sauce poured over it.

[darkemeralds]

*drool*

[lamentables]

I loathe the taste of fresh coriander - it eclipses everything else in the dish - but I've become more tolerant of it with practice. It still tastes vile, but I find it easier to ignore.

Coriander seeds and ground coriander on the other hand? &hearts

Many, many years ago I grew some coriander in the garden, being aware of it only as a spice, not a herb, and I found I couldn't even bear to brush past it because of the smell.

[darkemeralds]

Wow, that's a real aversion.

I didn't feel quite that strongly about it, but it was definitely a strongly undesirable smell to me. The change has been quite strange.

[legionseagle]

I'm extremely fond of fresh coriander (especially in omelettes and parsi scrambled eggs) but my partner does not care for it; interestingly, while he doesn't seem to be gluten or wheat intolerant there's obviously enough of a sensitivity on that front that he prefers (and feels better when eating) spelt/rye breads rather than other types.

[darkemeralds]

Ooh, parsi scrambled eggs. Had to look that up. It sounds delicious.

[kis]

Mr Kis is like you. He used to hate the stuff but now, as you noticed, likes it. He still doesn't adore it with a passion though, unlike me.

[darkemeralds]

Your kedgeree has become a family favorite. I've made it three times now since you were here, and everyone really enjoys it. I've been chopping up masses of cilantro/coriander and, since there's always more than you need in a bunch, adding it to other stir-fries.

Great stuff. And thanks for the recipe. It's fantastic.

[kis]

Mr Kis' recipe. And now he's positively swaggering! :)

[cat63]

It's easy to grow too - I've even had some self-seed on my allotment over a fairly mild winter.

[darkemeralds]

That must smell nice! (Assuming you're one of the non-haters-of-coriander :D)

[cat63]

Yes, sorry, I'm a fan :-) II was really pleased when I realised what the "weeds" were. The seeds seem to be actually some sort of seed pod because when I've planted them deliberately I've nearly always got two seedlings from each one.

[writerscramp]

(Another tab I've had saved in my browser to come back to when I had a moment!)

So hilarious that you posted about this, because the day you did -- or the day I read it, at least -- we had this very discussion at work, re: cilantro love vs. cilantro hate. I'm the only person I know who hates it, everyone else loves it. Tastes like soap/astringent to me. And as you say, removes a wide swath of Mexican and Indian food for me unless it can be left out.

I think I've mentioned before that S and I are pretty certain I'm a supertaster. Cilantro is one of the foods that super tasters tend to not be able to enjoy. I tend to keep trying these things, however, in the hope that this time, this time it'll be different, to varying degrees of success. You give me hope that that approach may some day yield results.

[darkemeralds]

I would imagine that your being a supertaster has something to do with your non-enjoyment of coffee, tea, and alcohol?

Why I went from hating cilantro to liking it sometime in the past year is a complete mystery to me, but I'm actually going out of my way to add it to food now. It's the oddest thing. All I can think of is that my going GF was the trigger for some olfactory improvement.

[writerscramp]

Yes, although I like tea fine. But we're pretty sure that's why I react so negatively to the taste and smell of coffee and alcohol and several other flavors...certain cheeses, olives (except plain black), most bitter flavors, peppers (although my tolerance for peppers has increased over the years, thanks to being married to a pepper fanatic :). Spinach and other dark greens are often listed as problem foods for supertasters, but I don't have any trouble with them as long as they're not the only ingredient (with the exception of spinach, which I can eat without too much dressing up). They also say that supertasters tend to not like sweets or fats, and stay away from many green vegetables like brussel sprouts, and that's not true for me at all.

It's probably also why I tend to prefer saltiness more than most. Which seems counter intuitive, but from what I've read, supertasters tend to be drawn to salt flavors and saltiness because it helps block out bitterness. Bitter flavors are something supertasters "experience in Technicolor" and can make the difference between being able to enjoy a food or not.

There's a chemical taste test you can take to find out if you're a supertaster where they put a drop of some chemical on your tongue and if you're a supertaster, it'll be so bitter it'll make you want to gag (non-tasters can't taste anything and medium-tasters will taste a little bit of the bitterness). So I'm in no hurry to sign up for that. ;)

[darkemeralds]

Very interesting. The variety in human constitution never stops being interesting and amazing.

[tehomet]

Tastes like soap/astringent to me.

Me too! The first time I came across some in a dish in a fancy restaurant, I sent the thing back because I thought the chef had spilled detergent in it. Imagine my blushes when I realised.

[darkemeralds]

LOL! Great story.

And that is exactly how I used to feel about cilantro till this odd change happened.

[tehomet]

I dislike it greatly so I chose 'hate.'