Thanks to work by a few diligent and inquisitive scientists, we do know a few things about this love-hate relationship with one of my favorite herbs. Some these discoveries have been stumbled upon while working on more important issues while others come more focused and direct studies of the plant.
Coriander (aka cilantro or Chinese parsely) is the common name of the plant Coriandrum sativum, a member of the carrot family Apiaceae or Umbelliferae. The young leaves are the herb called cilantro, while the older leaves and seeds are called coriander - although the herb is commonly referred to by both names. For some interesting Coriandrum chemistry, check out the chapter on the chemical properties of the herb starting on page 190 of Chemistry of Spices, available through Google Book Search. Unfortunately the book doesn't have much info on why some find the herb so revolting...
So why the divide? According to work by folks like Charles Wysocki from the Monell Chemical Senses Center it seems there are very likely some genetic factors that contribute to the preference. This based on preliminary work comparing pairs of twins with non-twins - if its heritable, pairs of identical twins will share a preference more so than fraternal twins, with the lowest proportion of shared preferences seen between non-twin siblings.
Initially some believed the cilantrophiles among us were unable to taste or smell some particularly offensive chemical found in the plant. This is a reasonable hypothesis, and is in line with similar phenomena such as the more common example involving asparagus (although I recently learned that producing and being able to smell the offending byproduct in this case are two separate issues).
With cilantro, it turns out this notion is a bit off. There does seem to be a difference in smelling (and tasting) ability among the cilantro lovers and haters among us, but according to this essay by Josh Kurz on the NPR website, the smell some folks are missing out on is not a foul one, but that pungent lemony smell so adored by cilantro lovers. If you are among those who hate cilantro, you really might not know what you're missing!
Given the descriptions I have heard and read, there may indeed be some other more unpleasant smells that are only detectable by the unfortunate few. This could simply be because the compounds that smell so good to some are themselves the culprits, being pleasant to some and repulsive to others. The GC anecdote in Josh Kurz's article suggests otherwise, however. So the two smells/tastes are indeed caused by two different chemicals. Unfortunately the essay doesn't mention whether or not researchers Wysocki and Preti were also able to smell the unpleasant compounds.
Interestingly, this information doesn't show up on ihatecilantro.com!
So will the world be a better place for knowing all this? Probably not, but I can already imagine someone slaving away for Monsanto trying to get rid of the repulsive compounds - after all, there is a big difference between "tastes bad" and "tasteless"!
27 comments:
I read on http://sandwalk.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-hate-cilantrocoriander.html that you E-mailed some people about the taste difference being caused by genetics, did you get any interesting information from that?
As one of those people who tastes soap in coriander/cilantro, I'm betting on the genetics being the cause of the difference in taste perception.
You may wonder why people like those from ihatecilantro.com make such a big deal out of a small thing like this. Speaking from my own experience, it's just that a "soapy flavor" is kind of an understatement. Imagine ordering some nice mexican food, and then squirting half a bottle of dishwashing detergent over it, completely ruining it.. Since most restaurants often don't specifically list whether they used cilantro, this is an damn disappointing recurring experience.
I know I know, it's still a small thing, but it can really ruin your day.
Hi Tobias, :)
I did send out a couple emails, but unfortunately I never heard back from anyone.
Most publications on coriander seem to involve characterizing chemical compounds, assessing biological (e.g. antimicrobial) properties of those compounds, or assessing various methods related to the cultivation or distribution of plants. It seems there could be relevant results in the literature on the chemical activities of various components of cilantro, but unfortunately I don't have the time (or biochem. background) to wade through it all to look for them.
There doesn't seem to be that much published work on the taste/smell issue, which is surprising! So either there is plenty of room for more basic research on the genetics (along the lines Wysocki's twin study) behind the olfactory/gustatory side of the picture, or I'm just not searching through the right literature. My guess is the former, as it would seem this stuff would make the rounds in the popular science arena.
In any case, thanks for checking in! If I come across anything more I'll be sure to include it here as a comment, or update to the above post.
I find it unlikely that the scientists involved could smell the offending compound, but I only base this on personal experience.
For instance, my girlfriend and I go out to eat often, and it has been the case quite many times that while I can tell even the slightest amount of cilantro is in a dish, she cannot. Initially, she would not believe me and we would go to the chef for the answer. Now, she just accepts after having about an 0-5 record on challenges.
If she were able to taste both, and the good would need to be REALLY good and more importantly STRONG, why wouldn't she be able to identify small amounts of cilantro just as easily if not more so than I?
I think those who dislike cilantro just drew the short stick on what we got to smell and what we didn't here. I would also like to know more about the chemicals themselves. Is, or was there ever, a evolutionary reason for/against either? Why such a distinct separation on such a fine line for this? It seems most people are, very explicitly, one or the other.
Hi Anon,
"Is, or was there ever, a evolutionary reason for/against either?"
"Reason"? Who knows. Explanation? Probably at least a few, which could make for nice, testable hypothesis if done right. ;)
I can't answer this with any certainty, but one possible explanation for why we see both "traits" is that there is a strong genetic component to being one way or the other, and that it can take a really, really long time for such neutral or nearly-neutral traits to either disappear or "take over" a population (i.e. assuming this doesn't significantly impact reproduction).
So it that sense, it may be a bit like having an attached earlobe or something - some have it, some don't.
The problem there, is that it doesn't seem to occur in families the way a simple Mendelian traits do. So it's at best a combination of genetic factors and/or some other environmental factors (e.g. a glitch during early development) that lead one to taste coriander one way or the other.
Again, that's all speculative, so take it with a grain of salt! ;)
"Why such a distinct separation on such a fine line for this? It seems most people are, very explicitly, one or the other."
Again, if it's a failure of some particular developmental pathway or something, you could see such a dichotomous pattern, but again - as far as I can tell these aren't questions we have answers to yet.
Thanks for the questions :)
It's finally growing on me! Black olives on the other hand are still the enemy.
@GG: Are you saying you are getting used to the herb?
I have tried for a long time to get used to it but the taste perception has not changed one little bit. I did not think it was possible.
That said I do like olives and I can eat anything but coriander.
Death to coriander!
My son and I are both physically sick if we taste coriander in food. We are absolutely repulsed by the stuf. LOL!
hate hate hate it its really poison
I have an automatic gag reflex as soon as it hits my tasebuds. My sister however loves the stuff?
Revolting, evil herb!!
It can't be completely genetic as both my husband and I loathe coriander with a passion and are often disappointed when eating out as it is never listed on the menu. But we have gone to both of our families and they've all said that they love, like, or don't mind it. We both feel sick at the first taste of it!
it makes my mouth feel like it is turning inside out!
When I went to Thailand I couldn't understand why the food always tasted soapy until I finally figured it out. Now it happens regularly back home in NZ!
However I seem to be ok with coriander seeds. Is there some chemical in the leaves that isn't in seeds?
I think coriander seeds and leaves are chemically different. I like seeds while I hate leaves.
First time I tasted cilantro at the age of 5. I cried out there is dead insect in my plate. For me it smell like an insect (I don't know the name of the insect but that is found commonly in India). Cilantro is the foulest smell I ever know.
My friends and family members think my aversion to cilantro is very abnormal.
It's not abnormal to hate coriander, both my wife and I detest it. Whenever we we go out to eat, we always ask if coriander has been added or is used as a garnish. We were cought out once when it was added to a risoto in an Italian restaurant. I don't think it is hereditory as both my kids like the dreadful stuff.
Anon, please don't think of yourself as abnormal. Any Indian restaurant here in England will tell you that requests for no coriander leaf are not uncommon.
I usually ask "No dhania", the Indian word for coriander/cilantro, the reason being I prefer my food not tasting as if it's been boiled in Fairy Liquid, served with a sauce of metal polish and a garnish of burnt hair. Coriander leaf is REPULSIVE.
I love coriander, it has a beautiful citric hereby spice taste, but many years ago I bought it and all I could taste was soap, and this taste has comeback once or twice since, so I have seen coriander in both lights. So what, I wonder was it that made me tatste completely different flavours??
Hi, I am one of the haters. But I am going to Vietnam this summer and I am thinking of trying to find out if it is possible to turn into a lover. Do you know if it is possible to fall in love with the taste of coriander when you really do not like it?
As one of the 'lucky' people who find the flavor of cilantro to be equal to sticking a bar of Lifebouy in my mouth, I find the debate interesting. As I am also violently allergic to the herb (carry an epipen), I've always figured it was more of a survival quirk. I can also detect cyanide by scent - something my doctor told me is s bit rare, but semi common in people with my cilantro aversion. I've never really thought of myself as deprived, though I'll admit I wish I could go out to dinner without having to feel like a horrible person for asking the server what is safe for me to enjoy. I've had family and friends roll their eyes, or ask the chef to put extra cilantro in my dish as a joke because "no one can be allergic to cilantro - it's too delicious!" I'd love to see a study done on the correlation between the almost addicted to cilantro and the hostility factor that causes them to become homicidal about it.I'm sure most cilantro enjoyers are not in that group, just curious about the ones who find people like me offensive.
I only hated it until my ex husband's family decided to'cure' me of my aversion. Now I'm so violently allergic to it that I have to carry an epi-pen. Be nice to yourself and don't force the issue.
There are plenty of dishes you will enjoy just fine without it.
Coriander stinks and tastes disgusting, but not like soap, like... I don't really know but I made the mistake of leaving coriander in a glass of water on the windowsill for a week and when I threw it out it smelled like a rotting carcass. And that's NOT exaggeration. Like what I imagine the death flower to smell like, but maybe worse. O.O
This year alone, I have had three meals with cilantro in them (I could taste it (tinny, citrusy and foul). All three times, I wound up with the toilet under me and a bucket on my lap. The third would be the worst bout, but it taught me to ask restaurants and friends if cilantro lined or garnished their foods as clearly I have a tense and serious reaction to it.
****Restaurants should advise the public if they use cilantro in their dishes
Coriander is SO DISGUSTING, I would rather eat dog shit. I can't believe some people can not only eat the infernal stuff, but ENJOY it! I would rather have all my finger nails ripped out or be beaten to death by a group of drunken gorillas. It tastes soapy, rancid, metallic, bloody and also tastes like burnt plastic, I HATE it. I hate it so much I would rather lick washing up liquid off the floor of a dog kennel. Coriander RUINS food, NOT enhances it and once someone puts it in, even if you fish it out, it still tastes like coribloodyander. It is so offensive and is EVERYWHERE!!!! I'm sick of people telling me I'm fussy, it is 1 bloody herb that is used far to often. There are OTHER herbs, dozens of them, yet coriander is almost always used everywhere.
i hate the fresh coriander leaves that are put on everything in an indian resturant, from onion bargees to pilau rice, sheek kebabs and every curry sauce they serve, but its fine as a powder because its in every base curry sauce that indian resturants , but fresh leaves tastes like eating PENCILS!!!!
Anthony William Medical Medium has written about this aversion on his books. He says it is an excellent herb for cleaning out heavy metals from your body. He says those who can’t eat it are usually the ones that need it most as the reason they taste the metals is because they have build up in their body. Anyway I used to get nauseous and throw up after the slightest taste but I have slowly been on a complete change of diet in general. No sugar, gluten, dairy and lots of fresh fruit and veg and no more take out or food that comes from packets or sauces that aren’t real food. Then I slowly started introducing cilantro in a salad for example. Just one leaf. The taste still makes me break dance but it does not make me sick to the stomach anymore. Now that my body is less toxic due to a cleaner diet I can definitely tolerate it. Still hate it but am going to try and eat it here and there since it’s really important for our bodies. Just my thought.
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