Cilantro - am I the only one?

SquarePeg

SquarePeg

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Am I really the only person on earth who hates cilantro? Okay to be completely honest I don't just dislike it, there's something about cilantro that makes me sick to my stomach. Even if I don't know that it is in a dish, or even if the taste is just barely there I know there's cilantro in it because my stomach literally heaves. I have thrown up a few times if a dish has a strong cilantro presence. I've tried the "you have to try something ten times" approach, but my stomach just isn't going along with the plan.

The problem is that so many places put it in every damn thing. Go to Taco Bell and get the Fresco option? Nope. Cilantro. Go to Chipotle? Nope the cilantro is in the damn rice, and I could get plain white rice, but I want brown rice and there's cilantro in that. Oh and there's cilantro in the guacamole, too. Favourite Vietnamese restaurant - can't get the vegetarian spring rolls because they're full of cilantro and trying to get the wonderfully friendly, but not so fluent in English, staff to understand "no cilantro" is an exercise in futility.

There have to be other people in the world who don't like it, right?
 
There are a lot of people who don't like cilantro. I've heard it described as tasting like soap.

But you are the first person I've heard who said it makes them sick to their stomach
 
I like it in guacamole but use it sparingly in other dishes. Actually, I use far more mint, chives and parsely compared to coriander(cilantro).

It certainly does have a very distinct flavour and aroma and I understand that it is not to everyone's liking.
 
beancounter - that's it! It does taste like soap! There are two things in the world that are guaranteed to make me sick to my stomach from just the tiniest taste. Cilantro and anchovies. I don't know why, but even a hint of them in a dish and I'm nauseous. I thought it was a mental thing, but in both cases it has happened when I had no clue that it was in the dish. The first time was a salad that someone had put an anchovy on top and then removed the anchovy before I ever received my plate. I had no idea that an anchovy had been anywhere near my salad. Turned out my ex had ordered a Caesar salad and I'd order a tossed salad. They put his anchovy garnish on my salad, realized the mistake and just moved it from my salad to his but didn't make me a new salad. The second time was a blended, creamy corn and squash chowder. The cilantro was in the soup before blending it so you couldn't even see it. I would never have imagined cilantro in a corn chowder (not a southwestern style recipe), but after asking the cook a couple of questions turns out there was cilantro.

Shyvas - I've never noticed an aroma but I definitely notice the flavour. LOL
 
SquarePeg said:
Cilantro and anchovies. I don't know why, but even a hint of them in a dish and I'm nauseous. I thought it was a mental thing, but in both cases it has happened when I had no clue that it was in the dish.
Click to expand...

Yea, I've always despised the taste of anchovies. Even just a little bit of the flavor from the "run-off" makes me loose my appetite.
 
Shyvas,

Well, no I am pretty sure that none of the vegetarians here eat anchovies. But I am also pretty sure that many of the vegetarians and vegans here weren't always vegan or vegetarian and therefore might have had some experience with anchovies - or even had an unintentional close call with some non-veg foods. LOL
 
Like "asparagus pee" (and the ability to smell "asparagus pee"), it's a genetic thing: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/cilantro-aversion-gene-study_n_1901124.html
And an older study here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html?_r=0

Well, it's partly genetic, but partly experience. Cilantro is a fairly new thing where I am, so many adults aren't accustomed to eating it. People raised eating it seem to like it more. Cilantro normally smells very good to me, but when I have a cold or sinus infection that prevents me from detecting aromas normally, it smells soapy. So there's definitely a physical component to it.

I personally love cilantro and wish Chipotle put MORE of it in their rice and guac. I can barely taste it! One thing I love about the Thai restaurant I frequent is a very liberal use of cilantro in their food. Yummmmm.
 
I was pretty much going to say what RL did ^. It's fairly common for people to detect the soap taste.

It doesn't taste like soap to me but I don't like it raw or warmed, it has to be properly cooked into a dish and then I think it's lovely. Raw coriander is just a little too fragrant for me.
 
How strange & annoying for you! It really is in a lot of things - very difficult to avoid I would imagine.

I used to really dislike it a lot but don't mind it now. It's grown on me as have many other tastes in the last few years. However, I find it can easily be overpowering.
 
Wait im confused. is this one of these herbs that has a different name in the UK? After a google, I discovered that yes it is also coriander. I hate lemon+coriander hummus but aside from that I dont even notice its there. I have really bad tastebuds though.
 
As long as it is not overpowering. I do taste the soapy flavor, but I still eat it.
 
It's a genetic thing. Check out these articles. I am also one of the many who hates cilantro due to the soapy aftertaste:

http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/10/06/8171303-your-cilantro-love-or-hate-may-be-genetic?lite
http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/05/16/11719087-who-hates-cilantro-study-aims-to-find-out?lite

Interestingly, they have drawn some comparisons between this trait, and people who hate black licorice and artificial sweeteners:

http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/_news/20...of-us-hate-black-licorice-a-few-theories?lite
 
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