5 ms·

I keep hearing this, but my personal experience refutes this. I first encountered cilantro at the age of 15 and I immediately thought my soup bowl has unwashed

I keep hearing this, but my personal experience refutes this. I first encountered cilantro at the age of 15 and I immediately thought my soup bowl has unwashed soap in it. I did not eat cilantro-included dishes for years after, but fast forward 2 decades and I love cilantro now. I can't really detect the soapyness that once bothered me so much. I don't think cilantro preferences are as set in stone as the story alludes.

JohnFen 2y ago
I hope not. I can't stand cilantro. Even a tiny amount renders food completely inedible to me. I wouldn't say it tastes like soap to me (although the first time I heard that, I understood). It tastes more like strongly-flavored dust. I hate this fact because cilantro has become fashionable and has made eating out into a bit of a gamble. I'd be thrilled if I started liking it, or at least stopped hating it so much.
- crazygringo 2y ago
  I'm so confused. Is this whole thread about fresh cilantro leaves/stems, as I thought? Or the ground form of its seeds which is totally different and generally called coriander? (At least in the US.) Just because I've never heard of anyone refer to any kind of leaf as tasting like "dust". And I thought the "soapy" thing was exclusively a reaction to the leaves, not ground coriander.
  - wkat4242 2y ago
    Where I'm from we call the leaves coriander too.
    - crazygringo 2y ago
      Are you in the US? Just curious if there's regional variation in e.g. supermarket labeling. Because if you look at nationwide labeling, cilantro seems to refer exclusively to the leaves, and coriander exclusively to the seeds, and I've never seen anything different within the US: https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=cilantro https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=cilantro https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=coriander https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=coriander https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=cilantro https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=cilantro https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=coriander https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=coriander And if both terms can be used for the leaves, is there anywhere that calls the ground seeds cilantro?
      - wkat4242 2y ago
        No I'm in Europe. In the Netherlands we call the fresh herb coriander too, the term Cilantro doesn't exist. I think it's the same in Spain though it's a bit murkier there due to many Mexican restaurants calling it Cilantro. I think in Ireland they called everything coriander too though i don't recall exactly. But I'd never heard the term Cilantro till i went to a Mexican restaurant in Spain :)
        raffraffraff 2y ago
        Yep, in Ireland it's coriander leaves and coriander seeds.
        pezezin 2y ago
        Spanish guy here. The standard name is cilantro, used for both the seeds and the leaves. The Mexicans got the name from us, not the other way :P However, I have seen the opposite situation, Mexican people calling the seeds "coriandro", probably due to USA influence.
        JohnFen 2y ago
        I believe we in the US picked up the term "cilantro" for the leaves and "coriander" for the seeds from Mexico, not the other way around. But I couldn't quickly find an online reference clarifying this either way. So I don't know.
        pezezin 2y ago
        Sorry, I wrote my comment early in the morning and I didn't explain myself clearly. "Coriander" was the standard English word, and "cilantro" the standard Spanish word, way before the European arrival to the Americas. My understanding is that American English got the word "cilantro" for the leaves from Mexican cuisine... and then Mexican Spanish did the opposite and took the word "coriandro" for the seeds from English, to differentiate between the leaves and the seeds. I don't know how common the word is though; I have never been to Mexico so don't take my word for it. However, European English and Spanish still use just one word each. If you ask me, I will say "hojas de cilantro" (leaves) and "semillas de cilantro" (seeds). It is not so common in our cuisine, so there is no need to have different words.
  - JohnFen 2y ago
    I'm talking about the leaves, cilantro. Coriander, the seeds, are completely different and taste fine. I think a better description of the taste for me is that it tastes like stink bugs smell (which to me is strongly reminiscent of old dust, which is how I thought of it before I smelled a stink bug). Reading the other comments, I didn't realize calling the leaves "cilantro" wasn't universal. My apologies for the confusion!
calf 2y ago
As supertasters get older, the cells lining your sinus and pharynx senesce which is why you aren't so bothered by cilantro and other related vegetables any more. That's the medical theory and BTW there is some evidence that the cells serve innate immune defenses against viruses.
nanomonkey 2y ago
Harold McGee, the food scientist, would agree: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html
Suppafly 2y ago
>I first encountered cilantro at the age of 15 and I immediately thought my soup bowl has unwashed soap in it. Until I figured out it was cilantro, I always assumed the local Mexican place was bad at rinsing their dishes. I still hate the flavor. No doubt some people with the soap gene can learn to enjoy it though. Anytime I comes up, someone that clearly tastes soap will mention that they like it anyway.

JohnFen 2y ago

I hope not. I can't stand cilantro. Even a tiny amount renders food completely inedible to me. I wouldn't say it tastes like soap to me (although the first time I heard that, I understood). It tastes more like strongly-flavored dust. I hate this fact because cilantro has become fashionable and has made eating out into a bit of a gamble. I'd be thrilled if I started liking it, or at least stopped hating it so much.

crazygringo 2y ago
I'm so confused. Is this whole thread about fresh cilantro leaves/stems, as I thought? Or the ground form of its seeds which is totally different and generally called coriander? (At least in the US.) Just because I've never heard of anyone refer to any kind of leaf as tasting like "dust". And I thought the "soapy" thing was exclusively a reaction to the leaves, not ground coriander.
- wkat4242 2y ago
  Where I'm from we call the leaves coriander too.
  - crazygringo 2y ago
    Are you in the US? Just curious if there's regional variation in e.g. supermarket labeling. Because if you look at nationwide labeling, cilantro seems to refer exclusively to the leaves, and coriander exclusively to the seeds, and I've never seen anything different within the US: https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=cilantro https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=cilantro https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=coriander https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=coriander https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=cilantro https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=cilantro https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=coriander https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/search?text=coriander And if both terms can be used for the leaves, is there anywhere that calls the ground seeds cilantro?
    - wkat4242 2y ago
      No I'm in Europe. In the Netherlands we call the fresh herb coriander too, the term Cilantro doesn't exist. I think it's the same in Spain though it's a bit murkier there due to many Mexican restaurants calling it Cilantro. I think in Ireland they called everything coriander too though i don't recall exactly. But I'd never heard the term Cilantro till i went to a Mexican restaurant in Spain :)
      - raffraffraff 2y ago
        Yep, in Ireland it's coriander leaves and coriander seeds.
      - pezezin 2y ago
        Spanish guy here. The standard name is cilantro, used for both the seeds and the leaves. The Mexicans got the name from us, not the other way :P However, I have seen the opposite situation, Mexican people calling the seeds "coriandro", probably due to USA influence.
        JohnFen 2y ago
        I believe we in the US picked up the term "cilantro" for the leaves and "coriander" for the seeds from Mexico, not the other way around. But I couldn't quickly find an online reference clarifying this either way. So I don't know.
        pezezin 2y ago
        Sorry, I wrote my comment early in the morning and I didn't explain myself clearly. "Coriander" was the standard English word, and "cilantro" the standard Spanish word, way before the European arrival to the Americas. My understanding is that American English got the word "cilantro" for the leaves from Mexican cuisine... and then Mexican Spanish did the opposite and took the word "coriandro" for the seeds from English, to differentiate between the leaves and the seeds. I don't know how common the word is though; I have never been to Mexico so don't take my word for it. However, European English and Spanish still use just one word each. If you ask me, I will say "hojas de cilantro" (leaves) and "semillas de cilantro" (seeds). It is not so common in our cuisine, so there is no need to have different words.
- JohnFen 2y ago
  I'm talking about the leaves, cilantro. Coriander, the seeds, are completely different and taste fine. I think a better description of the taste for me is that it tastes like stink bugs smell (which to me is strongly reminiscent of old dust, which is how I thought of it before I smelled a stink bug). Reading the other comments, I didn't realize calling the leaves "cilantro" wasn't universal. My apologies for the confusion!

calf 2y ago

As supertasters get older, the cells lining your sinus and pharynx senesce which is why you aren't so bothered by cilantro and other related vegetables any more. That's the medical theory and BTW there is some evidence that the cells serve innate immune defenses against viruses.

nanomonkey 2y ago

Harold McGee, the food scientist, would agree: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html

Suppafly 2y ago

>I first encountered cilantro at the age of 15 and I immediately thought my soup bowl has unwashed soap in it. Until I figured out it was cilantro, I always assumed the local Mexican place was bad at rinsing their dishes. I still hate the flavor. No doubt some people with the soap gene can learn to enjoy it though. Anytime I comes up, someone that clearly tastes soap will mention that they like it anyway.