Just checking, have you had coriander? It’s the same thing, just called cilantro in the Americas. For regular people it apparently tastes “fresh” and more subtle than parsley. For me it just tastes like soap, even a tiny amount ruins the entire dish.
That’s supposed to be a genetic issue. If you don’t like coriander for other reasons, you can learn to like it (seen that), but if it tastes like soap to you, there’s nothing to be done other than avoiding it.
Yeah I lost(?) the genetic lottery there. People thought I was being extra for years, I’m glad it’s become common knowledge that there’s a genetic link. I love mexican and indian food though so over time I’m learning to power through and not think about it too much, but it’s rough out there man. Though I know one guy who has the “soap gene” but he loves coriander lol I suspect I also have something similar with grapefruit. I know it’s supposed to be bitter but it just tastes like paint stripper to me, even in small amounts.
If it’s any use to you, I have found that a mix of lemongrass and Thai basil is a very reliable substitute for coriander in most contexts. I love coriander personally, but my sister can’t stand it
Supposedly Vietnamese coriander (Persicaria odorata) tastes very similar too while not actually being in the same family of plants as coriander, so it might be worth a shot. I’ve never tried it myself though
That’s an American English thing. In most of Europe and British English coriander refers to the plant/leaves, and the seeds are just called coriander seeds. Etymology from wiki:
First attested in English during the late 14th century, the word “coriander” derives from the Old French coriandre, which comes from Latin coriandrum,[15] in turn from Ancient Greek κορίαννον : koríannon (or κορίανδρον : koríandron),[16][17] possibly derived from or related to κόρις : kóris (a bed bug),[18][19] and was given on account of its fetid, bug-like smell.[20]
The earliest attested form of the word is the Mycenaean Greek ko-ri-ja-da-na[21] (variants: ko-ri-a2-da-na, ko-ri-ja-do-no, ko-ri-jo-da-na)[22] written in Linear B syllabic script (reconstructed as koriadnon, similar to the name of Minos’ daughter Ariadne) which later evolved to koriannon or koriandron,[23] and Koriander (German).[24]
Cilantro is the Spanish word for coriander, also deriving from coriandrum. It is the common term in US English for coriander leaves due to their extensive use in Mexican cuisine, but the seeds are referred to as coriander in American English.[24]
you have to try it as people react differently to it. Im one of the people where cilantro tastes awful to me but I think most people either don’t notice it or like it. Chipolte uses it.
I’ve literally never had cilantro, what does it taste like?
Just checking, have you had coriander? It’s the same thing, just called cilantro in the Americas. For regular people it apparently tastes “fresh” and more subtle than parsley. For me it just tastes like soap, even a tiny amount ruins the entire dish.
That’s supposed to be a genetic issue. If you don’t like coriander for other reasons, you can learn to like it (seen that), but if it tastes like soap to you, there’s nothing to be done other than avoiding it.
Yeah I lost(?) the genetic lottery there. People thought I was being extra for years, I’m glad it’s become common knowledge that there’s a genetic link. I love mexican and indian food though so over time I’m learning to power through and not think about it too much, but it’s rough out there man. Though I know one guy who has the “soap gene” but he loves coriander lol I suspect I also have something similar with grapefruit. I know it’s supposed to be bitter but it just tastes like paint stripper to me, even in small amounts.
If it’s any use to you, I have found that a mix of lemongrass and Thai basil is a very reliable substitute for coriander in most contexts. I love coriander personally, but my sister can’t stand it
Supposedly Vietnamese coriander (Persicaria odorata) tastes very similar too while not actually being in the same family of plants as coriander, so it might be worth a shot. I’ve never tried it myself though
Interesting I’ve not heard of vietnamese coriander before. I’ll keep an eye out for it, thanks!
Oh I HATE parsley, it tastes soapy to me. I can’t eat things with it in so I share your aversion
Oof that sucks, parsley is in a shit tonne of stuff. Good luck out there friend
Thanks mate. I will pray to all the deities that you never have to eat cilantro again.
Coriander is a seed and cilantro is a leaf. They taste nothing alike.
That’s an American English thing. In most of Europe and British English coriander refers to the plant/leaves, and the seeds are just called coriander seeds. Etymology from wiki:
you have to try it as people react differently to it. Im one of the people where cilantro tastes awful to me but I think most people either don’t notice it or like it. Chipolte uses it.
There’s like a 1-in-4 or so that it will taste like soap. Yay!