3 ms·

I have this issue as well. What drives me nuts is how people think it's a preference that I don't like cilantro. No, I'm fundamentally having a different experi

I have this issue as well. What drives me nuts is how people think it's a preference that I don't like cilantro. No, I'm fundamentally having a different experience. I have no idea what cilantro is supposed to taste like, but "fill a dish full of soap” seems very unlikely to be an intentional choice for a cook. I've read that there is a compound in cilantro that we can taste that is untastable to other people. I've noticed that finally chopped and/or cooked cilantro is not anywhere near as strong. So it must be some volatile chemical. Once I was able to clearly identify the taste, I started noticing other tastes in raw vegetables that went away after fine-chopping and cooking. For the most part, I find raw vegetables almost inedible, especially things like bell peppers. But cooked up, they are completely fine. I also noticed that, if I try to push through eating many raw vegetables, I start to have an allergic reaction on my tongue. This is especially true for cilantro, basil, celery, and to a lesser extent carrots and tomatoes. Again, cooked is no problem. I'm my mind, they're all linked. Some uniqueness of my tongue genetics makes me susceptible to one or more certain chemicals that others can tolerate. And my tongue is trying to tell me it's bad for me.

code_duck 4y ago
The reaction you describe to raw but not cooked vegetables is probably something called “oral allergy syndrome”.
Nursie 4y ago
The only actual investigation on the cilantro thing I’ve read was some years ago, I think by NPR. The guy went and had cilantro analysed by slow heating in a gas chromatograph, and while it turned out that others who enjoyed it could detect the negative flavour, he could not detect the compounds that others found appealing. Ah, here it is - https://www.npr.org/2008/12/26/98695984/getting-to-the-root-of-the-great-cilantro-divide https://www.npr.org/2008/12/26/98695984/getting-to-the-root-...
rightbyte 4y ago
> Once I was able to clearly identify the taste, I started noticing other tastes in raw vegetables that went away after fine-chopping and cooking. Ye exactly. Like licking a raw parsnip on the outside.

code_duck 4y ago

The reaction you describe to raw but not cooked vegetables is probably something called “oral allergy syndrome”.

Nursie 4y ago

The only actual investigation on the cilantro thing I’ve read was some years ago, I think by NPR. The guy went and had cilantro analysed by slow heating in a gas chromatograph, and while it turned out that others who enjoyed it could detect the negative flavour, he could not detect the compounds that others found appealing. Ah, here it is - https://www.npr.org/2008/12/26/98695984/getting-to-the-root-of-the-great-cilantro-divide https://www.npr.org/2008/12/26/98695984/getting-to-the-root-...

rightbyte 4y ago

> Once I was able to clearly identify the taste, I started noticing other tastes in raw vegetables that went away after fine-chopping and cooking. Ye exactly. Like licking a raw parsnip on the outside.