{"id":87266,"date":"2018-09-21T09:45:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-21T14:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toh.test.rda.net\/article\/the-scientific-reason-why-cilantro-tastes-like-soap\/"},"modified":"2025-01-21T14:44:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T20:44:23","slug":"the-scientific-reason-why-cilantro-tastes-like-soap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/the-scientific-reason-why-cilantro-tastes-like-soap\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is Why Some People Hate Cilantro"},"content":{"rendered":"Plenty of debate swirls around this herb. People either love cilantro and use it in everything from salmon<\/a> to salad dressing<\/a>, or they can't stand the taste of it. For some, cilantro tastes like soap, dirt, crushed bugs or metal shavings.\r\n\r\nBefore you join the I Hate Cilantro club and publicly announce an aversion to cilantro, you may want to learn why you don't like it.\r\n\r\nThe Oxford Companion to Food<\/em> notes that the word coriander<\/a> is said to derive from the Greek word for bedbug. (If a cilantro plant is green and leafy, it\u2019s considered cilantro. Once it flowers, it becomes coriander.) It adds that the cilantro aroma \"has been compared with the smell of bug-infested bedclothes\" and that \"Europeans often have difficulty in overcoming their initial aversion to this smell.\"\r\n

Why does cilantro taste like soap?<\/h2>\r\nResearch seems to confirm that your DNA plays a large part in this. 23andMe asked 50,000 customers if they liked the taste of cilantro and whether they thought it had a soapy taste. Then, researchers compared answers to the DNA of participants. A common genetic variation was found among the cilantro haters!\r\n\r\nAnother study by the group confirmed that one's background and culture might play a role. The study found that 14 to 21% of people of East Asian, African and Caucasian ancestry disliked cilantro, while only 3 to 7% of South Asians, Hispanics and Middle Easterners disliked it. Perhaps that's no surprise because cilantro is a popular ingredient in these regions.\r\n\r\nIf you enjoy cilantro, good for you! Its dark-green leaves contain antioxidants, essential oils, vitamins (folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, vitamins A and C, beta-carotene) and dietary fiber. Cilantro puts pep in your step while adding explosive flavor to soups, sauces, marinades, salads and homemade guacamole<\/a>.\r\n\r\nIf you simply can't warm up to cilantro, other options exist. One common substitute is parsley, which is similar to cilantro but more mild in flavor.\r\n\r\n\t\t\t
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Recipes to Make If You Love Cilantro<\/div>\t\t\t\t
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