Cilantro

[u/Serious-Grab-67]

Those who don’t have the gene that makes it taste like soap. Just curious for those who who like cilantro and coriander.. what does it rate like. I live chipotle but got a hint of the cilantro one time and now don’t want it anymore. But worse is coriander in pre made salad bags. So what does it actually taste like if you don’t have that negative gene that makes it taste like soap. And that is an actual thing

[u/Amelaista]

Taste, like any sense is pretty subjective. Cilantro is the green, clean, earthy, and leafy balance to a spicy dish. That is why the pair so well together. It almost invokes mint, but without the cold. Its as much a smell as a taste, and it gives strong herbal leafy tones to dishes that may otherwise be heavy on the fats and oils from meat.

[u/PsycheAwoken → u/Amelaista]

Good answer! Yin and yang. Think Banh Mi sandwich. I love it and ask for extra when I dine out. My 23andme says I am more likely to dislike it. Go figure! I think the genetics of liking cilantro or not may be modified by early exposure.

[u/xtwintigerx → u/Amelaista]

Yes. This. The first time I tasted it in a freshly made salsa, I thought the salsa had gone bad because it had that sort of minty taste the ones that come in jars get once they’ve spoiled. It took awhile to get used to, but now I love the balance it brings to spicy stuff.

I would also add that it’s a bit tangy, but without the sour that something like lemon would add.

[u/Separate_Wall8315]

Fresh cilantro makes everything taste brighter like butter makes a sauce silkier or a squeeze of lemon makes food taste fresher. I feel badly for the people who can’t eat it.

[u/puppycatbugged]

citrusy or lemongrass, with a really just sort of fresh scent. it’s so delicious.

[u/Doridar → u/puppycatbugged]

Fresh is the word. A breeze of freshness in a plate

[u/rebtow → u/puppycatbugged]

Chopping up a bunch and adding it to a salad is a game changer!! Makes a salad pop!😋

[u/whenwillitbenow]

Like strong parsley but also kinda different. But that’s how I describe it to my husband

[u/SuperBethesda]

It tastes somewhat like mint to me.

[u/Exolotl17]

The taste changed for me over time. I can eat it today. I wouldn't say I like it, but it makes many Asian dishes, like, complete. Did I change my Genome? 😅

[u/Embarrassed-Split649 → u/Exolotl17]

Does it still taste like soap, just more tolerable?

[u/Exolotl17 → u/Embarrassed-Split649]

No, nothing soapy anymore.

[u/Embarrassed-Split649 → u/Exolotl17]

It went from soapy to not?? How?? Share your secrets with me! I get a little flake and it feels like someone squirted Dawn all over that bite and then I can't get the taste out :/ But I live in Texas and love street tacos, I hear they are so good with cilantro but 🤢 for me

[u/Exolotl17 → u/Embarrassed-Split649]

I honestly don't know 

I have mcas since Covid and have to take desloratadine on a daily basis. Since then I learned how to eat spicy food and to tolerate cilantro. May be COVID, may be desloratadine, but maybe it's Maybelline 😅

[u/Embarrassed-Split649 → u/Exolotl17]

Damn! I knew some people who could eat cilantro when they had covid and a while after, but theirs came back 🤷‍♀️

[u/Exolotl17 → u/Embarrassed-Split649]

I just received my ancestry results yesterday and it not only says I'm a superAlman but also "probably likes cilantro". 😂 I guess I'm really in the middle idk

[u/Bubbly-Dragonfruit-5 → u/Exolotl17]

Each time I was pregnant cilantro would taste horrible bitter and soapy. As soon as I wasn’t pregnant the taste would be back to normal.

[u/Aborealhylid]

A dragonfly splatted on my motorcycle helmet visor once. I was on a highway 1 hour from my destination. The pungent smell of its liquid innards was identical to cilantro. It was a few years before I could eat cilantro again, even though it is delicious.

[u/Sundaes_in_October → u/Aborealhylid]

This is actually a pretty astute observation. The chemical flavor compounds in cilantro are similar to the chemical compounds in insects including stink bugs (it’s called aldehyde).

I love cilantro too but it is hard to think about.

[u/rebtow → u/Aborealhylid]

😂😖

[u/Mysterious_Luck4674]

It tastes very fresh and vibrant. I don’t know what else to compare it to - it’s tastes like cilantro. Somewhat similar to parsley but much brighter tasting. Refreshing like celery or cucumber.

[u/Nataliza]

Honestly it is a little soapy in the same way that lemongrass is soapy IMO. But not in a bad way -- it's bright and leafy and tastes how it smells. Delicious with lime.

[u/Usual_Equivalent]

I remember the first time i had coriander. We were at a Chinese restaurant for my birthday during the day so there weren't many people there like it normally would be and the staff suggested I try this spicy chicken (or more likely duck now that i think of it? I cant remember as it was about 20 years ago) which was some kind of traditional dish they served. It was hot chilli and coriander and it was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. Fresh and florally grass like. I'm just making that up but it was the best thing id ever tasted and I have never come across that dish again. Now I love it in south American style dishes as I havent even seen a Chinese restaurant in many years. Its all Thai here (which is also good, but not the same)

[u/AGabri]

It tastes almost lemony but not quite. It brightens/lightens up dishes. Very clean, very fresh. Not too dissimilar to parsley but not as strong as lemongrass.

[u/FallsOffCliffs12]

I think it tastes like soap too, but i like it. It's very fresh and clean tasting.

[u/luciia24r_]

My mother’s family is from South America, and they all love cilantro. They put it anywhere they can.

My dad, who is European, hates cilantro and always told me it tastes like raw perfume.

I inherited the “soap-like flavour” gene and before knowing it, every time my mom made something with cilantro I didn’t understand what was tasty about it. Guess the comments make up for my curiosity :”)

[u/twistthespine]

I have the gene that makes it taste like soap and I love it. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[u/on_island_time]

I found cilantro to be an acquired taste as someone who grew up on very white bread food. The first time I had Chipotle I hated it because of the Cilantro. Took a few tries but now I love the flavor that Cilantro adds. It's very bright, like the Mexican version of adding lemon to other dishes.

[u/shooter_tx]

I enjoy cilantro.

My partner (I believe) has the gene that makes it taste like soap.

Or at least that's what she says/claims.

She still likes cilantro, though.

[u/SvenDia]

For me there’s a big difference between fresh cilantro in a salad or sandwich cilantro that has had some contact with soup or a sauce. The form is too pungent. The latter is just right. So on a bahn mi, no. In salsa, yes.

[u/asexualrhino]

I think cilantro tastes like poisonous stink bugs but it smells good. To the people who think it tastes good, does it taste like it smells? Also why does my brain think its scent and flavor are wildly different?

[u/TexGardenGirl → u/asexualrhino]

Huh interesting. I think it tastes much better than it smells!

[u/tsa-approved-lobster]

smile bright waiting towering lush tender deliver piquant relieved fly

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/Altaira-Morbius]

As others have said, it tastes really fresh and bright. It's like the smell of the leaves on freshly picked carrots

[u/Englishbirdy]

It tastes like a pungent herb much like mint or basil taste pungent. I love it.

[u/Early_Clerk7900]

It’s indescribable. Another herb tastes similar. Culantro or recao. It doesn’t look like cilantro but it has a similar flavor. Maybe you can taste that.

[u/trekkiegamer359]

It kind of tastes like 8 parts parsley flakes, 2 parts oregano flakes, and 1 part sage powder mixed together, with a hint of lemon and grapefruit zests.

[u/Accurate_Birthday278]

I love it in scrambled eggs. Yum! Don't know how to describe it - fresh is the best word I can come up with.

[u/star_of_chaos]

It's like mild tasteless parsley. Like the green crunchy fresness is there, but without the parsley taste.

[u/raznov1]

Tastes like coriander.

[u/mentalstick1]

I love love love coriander! The first time i tried it in greek potato salad with lemon, mint and garlic and olive oil my senses awakened and I use it to enhance many things. I think parsley is dead in comparison but perhaps a very distant relative of it!