Originally Posted by
Daawgon
It's the amount of cilantro that I hate - I can take it in small doses. It seems to me that it's used in much more abundance in Tex-Mex food than in real Mexican Food. As for Vietnamese, I've encountered very little in their food, but it's true that they love fresh herbs of all kinds.
Cilantro in classsic "TexMex" was always (until today) rarer than hen's teeth except in Pico de Gallo or maybe Guacamole. On the other hand true "Mexican" food from the Southern States of the Republic features Cilantro in all sorts of dishes. It remains much more common in "real" Mexican food than in "TexMex". Soup/stews like Menudo, Posole, Caldos, etc., traditionally arrive with chopped Onion, chopped Jalapeno (or other chili) and chopped Cilantro as flavoring garnishes.
As for Vietnamese food, Cilantro is the fresh herb most frequently used, almost over-used in Pho and similar dishes. Cilantro seems pretty popular in cuisines of both SEAsia and the Indian Subcontinent.