The Great Cilantro Divide

Josh Kurz produced this story for NPR which is also discussed by Monica Eng in The Stew. In it, Kurz acknowledges how cilantro is one of the most polarizing foods ("love it or hate it") and attempts to get to the bottom of why he hates cilantro. The conclusion: After putting a sample of cilantro in a gas chromatograph ("GC"), he discovers he's adverse to the smell of the unsaturated aldahydes in the cilantro but missing the necessary senses to enjoy the "good" aspects of cilantro:

Josh Kurz wrote:The GC is a machine that basically separates a sample of stuff into its constituent compounds. It slowly heats up a sample of material over the course of 40 minutes. As the temperature rises, each compound in the mix evaporates at different times. A flow of air passes over the sample and is split into two streams: One goes past a detector; the other one goes past the subject's nose. So if we put cilantro in the GC and I smell something at minute 8 and something else at minute 12, we can pinpoint what the offending odor is.

I put my supersmelling nose to the test and at 20 minutes, I identify the evil smell.

Anyhow, it's a fun read.

[FWIW, I fall into the "love" cilantro camp, and I do love the smell of it (which is what ultimately distinguishes for me cilantro from flat parsley in the grocery store). I also love the "soapy" taste of it.]

the only problem with that test, is that when i was a teenager i really hated cilantro. it smelled like sweat to me. then one day years later, i loved it and love it madly to this day. go figure.... justjoan

I have a theory that people who like cilantro don't like tarragon and vice versa. (I'm of the love cilantro/don't love tarragon persuasion). I've asked around and it has roughly turned out to be true maybe 7 or 8 times out of 10. Of course it's a totally limited, unscientific survey and I'm sure there will be plenty of responses to disprove my theory

Hellodali wrote:I have a theory that people who like cilantro don't like tarragon and vice versa. (I'm of the love cilantro/don't love tarragon persuasion). I've asked around and it has roughly turned out to be true maybe 7 or 8 times out of 10. Of course it's a totally limited, unscientific survey and I'm sure there will be plenty of responses to disprove my theory

7 or 8 out out of 11 now.

I like cilantro and tarragon, although I would rather bathe in cilantro.

I used to hate cilantro but have come around the past few years and would now put it in the "meh" category (if that word is still allowed). But I'd definitely choose it over tarragon, probably the only herb I actively avoid using.

figmolly wrote:I like cilantro and tarragon, although I would rather bathe in cilantro.

a/s/l?

Kennyz wrote:

Hellodali wrote:I have a theory that people who like cilantro don't like tarragon and vice versa. (I'm of the love cilantro/don't love tarragon persuasion). I've asked around and it has roughly turned out to be true maybe 7 or 8 times out of 10. Of course it's a totally limited, unscientific survey and I'm sure there will be plenty of responses to disprove my theory

7 or 8 out out of 11 now.

I'm with Kenny. I love both cilantro and tarragon.

Cilantro tastes soapy to me, but I don't mind it in some applications - salsa, for example. It certainly plays an important role in Thai food. But I never use it when cooking at home. My husband always wants to toss it in the weirdest stuff - pasta sauce? - which is the ruination of the dish.

Don't know about tarragon, really, but I used to adore tuna tarragon pasta salad, for what it's worth.

I remember "discovering" cilantro in the 80's and wondering where it had been all my life -- suddenly it was available, and indispensible for Mexican, Thai, Indian and other cuisines. It's one of the flavors I associate with "fresh" along with lime, ginger and cucumber (and they all go well together too).

I know some people who think it tastes "like sucking on a nickel" (but I don't find nickels unpleasant tasting either). Luckily, all my clan likes it, so I can pile it on.

One quick Cilantro-related recipe:

Smooth Guacamole:
-----------------------
1 Haas avocado, mashed fine
Either: 1 tsp chipotle seasoning paste (per Rick Bayless)
or 2 tsp minced chipotle pepper in adobo plus a pinch of brown sugar
or 1 tsp garlicy hot sauce
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime, to taste
Salt, to taste (more than you'd think, but taste with the chips you're using so you don't overdo it)
1/4C cilantro, minced fine

Mash together the avocado, chile or hot sauce and cilantro. The cilantro will help restore the green color lost when the chile paste hits the avocado. Flavor with lime and salt to taste.

To me, cilantro is like cumin....too much can ruin a dish. I believe a small amount of cilantro belongs in some Asian and Mexican dishes but to put it in Italian dishes or other places could ruin a dish. Sometimes its just too too much. I also hate it when people put cinnamon in pasta sauce too.

I'll vote for liking both, but if I had to bathe in either (not a prospect I relish), I think I'd probably go for the tarragon there.

I love cilantro. Like many good things, I didn't discover this herb until I went to college. In fact, when I worked in a kitchen, we used to chew cilantro as a makeshift breath freshener.

i love cilantro, loathe tarragon. justjoan

Love cilantro. Love tarragon.

Crazy about cilantro. Can't imagine Mexican and Asian cuisines without it.

Like tarragon.

I like both.
And I have bathed with coriander - Kiehl's makes a lovely coriander bath wash and lotion.

I hate cilantro, but I'm fine with tarragon.

I hate tarragon, and I barely put up with cilantro. I would never buy any to use at home. I have recently been able to handle cilantro, because you really can't get away from it in salsa. With both of these spices, to me, it's that they overpower the flavor of the dish. You can't taste the other components of the meat. I had a chicken, avocado, tarragon salad once, and I will never order a dish with tarragon in it again. I am in the soapy camp.

Love both cilantro and tarragon. Tarragon would be my herb of choice for bathing.

I have wondered why some people have such a dislike for cilantro, and here is my, totally untested, theory. Cilantro, unlike other herbs, seems to lose its fresh, citrusy taste very, very fast. Sometimes, I notice a musty taste after just an overnight in the refrigerator, even though in appearance the bunch looks very fresh. That musty taste is not at all appealing, even to a cilantro lover. So, it is possible that the degree of freshness at the time of tasting, has impacted reactions to this herb.

Jyoti

I don't get the cilantro/soap comparison. If I had a handful of cilantro right now, I'd eat it plain for breakfast. I have a love/hate relationship with tarragon. The dried stuff is hideous, but the fresh is okay. The problem with the fresh is that it gets brown after five minutes.

Pie Lady wrote:I don't get the cilantro/soap comparison. If I had a handful of cilantro right now, I'd eat it plain for breakfast. I have a love/hate relationship with tarragon. The dried stuff is hideous, but the fresh is okay. The problem with the fresh is that it gets brown after five minutes.

I think the point of the soap comparison is that some people taste it and some don't. There's really nothing to "get" about it.

=R=

I agree with RonnieS. When I eat cilantro, I immediately know it is in something, it's distinctive. It tastes to me, like what ivory soap smells like. I am working on it, now that I know it is cilantro in a dish, I can easily pick it out of something if I need too. Thai soups come to mind since they usually put the cilantro in whole, instead of chopping it up.

So, it is possible that the degree of freshness at the time of tasting, has impacted reactions to this herb.

Cilantro is medicinal soap (note the addition of the adjective) to me whether it's fresh or not, altho I prefer the fresh version, since it's easier to pick out that way. No problem with tarragon, tho, altho that's an herb that requires moderation (altho I haven't bathed in it recently).

I have heard that experiencing cilantro as soapy is genetic. I am envious of those who don't taste the soap.

Boy -- I feel sorry for those who taste the soap -- or just the soap. While I can actually recognize the soap notes, I must have more of whatever it takes genetically to get past that -- because I love cilantro. I even make a cold gazpacho that is essentially a cilantro puree. On the other hand, I also have too many bitterness receptors, which makes stuff that's supposed to be bitter (particularly things with hops) simply impossible to consume.

Makes me wonder how else what I'm tasting differs from that which those around me are tasting.

Cynthia wrote:Boy -- I feel sorry for those who taste the soap -- or just the soap. While I can actually recognize the soap notes, I must have more of whatever it takes genetically to get past that -- because I love cilantro. I even make a cold gazpacho that is essentially a cilantro puree. On the other hand, I also have too many bitterness receptors, which makes stuff that's supposed to be bitter (particularly things with hops) simply impossible to consume.

Makes me wonder how else what I'm tasting differs from that which those around me are tasting.

I hear it tastes like citrus...? I just can't imagine.

Love cilantro, haven't had enough tarragon to decide how I feel about it.

I'm in the probably small group of people who hate fennel. Ick.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:I have heard that experiencing cilantro as soapy is genetic. I am envious of those who don't taste the soap.

When I took biology we were told this. It is the one thing I remember from the entire class. We went around the room and coded everyone for hair color, eye color and their affinity for cilantro.

abe_froeman wrote:Love cilantro, haven't had enough tarragon to decide how I feel about it.

I'm in the probably small group of people who hate fennel. Ick.

I dislike fennel as well. Anything licorice tasting. Bleh.