ATTENTION: Cilantro Haters. A must-read
 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/di....html?emc=eta1

This is one of my favorite paragraphs from the article:

"If the flavor doesn’t fit a familiar food experience, and instead fits into a pattern that involves chemical cleaning agents and dirt, or crawly insects, then the brain highlights the mismatch and the potential threat to our safety. We react strongly and throw the offending ingredient on the floor where it belongs."

I am a true cilantro hater.

Very interesting article, thanks for posting the link.

I have known people who hate cilantro, and I always was curious why, since I love cilantro. This was very insightful.

I thought it was very interesting. My husband loves it; I hate it. I have 4 children. Two hate it. No-one is neutral.
I never eat Thai or Southwestern food. Finding good salsa is a real challenge for the cilantro hater. Fortunately, Trader Joes makes a cilantro-free salsa.
I have always said one of the reasons I love Italy is that it is a CFZ (cilantro free zone).

from my foodservice days, one of the ratios I remember is 1 in 5 people HATE (not just dislike) cilantro.

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You and the Hawaiian.... I'll have to read this so I can understand him better. :D

(Actually, I started out an absolute cilantro hater, too--it was the bane of my existence when I was an exchange student in Thailand, but somehow I got over it.)

Interesting that myself and my Mom LOVE cilantro while my Dad and my sister absolutely hate it.

The article will give you great insight. You will be even more understanding of your fiancee's disgust of this particular green herb.

Right. No one is on the fence.

I am on the fence. It is sometimes used as a garnish, especially in Asia, and I will eat it depending on the position its in. If its in or on my food, I'll eat it. But if its placed on the side of the dish I'll leave it alone. My parents love it and will grab it off my plate if they see it placed on the side.

I hate, hate, hate it. I've never noticed the smell, but I know when it's in my food. I've asked waiters to not use it in my food. I've been to Vietnamese noodle places that use it as a garnish on their dry noodles. I'll pick it out of my food when I see it. Unlike Julia Child, I do eat arugula, although it does have a really sharp, biting taste.

Wow, I never realized so may people hated it. I cannot imagine a good pico de gallo without it, and I always throw it in my Indian butter chicken at the end for both flavor and a garnish.

i'm surprised that no one has mentioned the taste comparison to aluminum foil. :confused: I find the taste more comparable to foil than soap.

Thanks for the link to that article. My son absolutely despises cilantro, and won't eat anything containing it. Doesn't bother me at all, nor anyone else in my family...well, actually my daughter doesn't like it because my son doesn't like it...!

I associate cilantro with pain: blisters in my mouth, watery, burning eyes and shortness of breath. I have gotten to be an expert at avoiding consuming it because it makes my eyes sting and water long before it gets near my mouth. "Hate" is only the beginning of what I feel about it.

Odd thing is my kid loves it, and has since he was a toddler. Maybe because he ate more Indian food than fast food between the ages of 18 months and 6 years?

Eugh, Bleugh, and no thanks ;) ... Not a fan whatsoever. From experience, its a bit like marmite, you either love it or you hate it.

Cilantro causes some of these symptoms with you?

I don't necessarily hate the taste of cilantro itself, but when it is used in a dish it is completely overpowering, to the point that I can only taste cilantro and nothing else. I find that aspect of it annoying.

To be honest... I love cilantro but doesn't like or almost hates basil...

I love cilantro, but I don't recall ever eating much with my family so I don't know if they hate it, are in different, or just don't eat much of it to care.

I used to hate cilantro but eventually started eating and liking Thai and other foods that used it. I knew I'd really turned a corner when I was tasting a dish and thought "you know, this would be great with a bit of cilantro in it."

Fascinating article. When I first tasted cilantro many years ago I was utterly convinced the soup bowl hadn't been rinsed (soapy flavor) but something switched by the third time I tried it and I can't get enough of the stuff.

My wife loves it. We try to grow it, we use it constantly, and it's one of the herbs we buy all the time at the farm (because the deer eat ours).

Her sister, who many people believe is her twin, but they are several years apart, can't even sit at the table when there's cillantro around as a garnish. It's hysterical to see the difference.

It is so sad to hate cilantro; that's like hating life itself.

I have family members who will not eat fish, onions, garlic or anything green. They, three of them, all have heart trouble, gastric distress and other illnesses. misnutrition must play a part for them.

I'm an unusual example of somone who dislikes but doesn't hate cilantro. I would never voluntarily put it into a dish, but I don't spit it out when I encouter it either.

Cilantro tastes like soap... Yech... For some reason, though, I don't mind coriander. Go figure...

How odd. I can think of a couple of people who don't care for the taste, but I've never met anyone who actively hates coriander/cilantro. Love the stuff mysefl - be it in a salad, on a curry or added to pho.

One friend has a bad reaction to dill which I find equally odd.

this is amazing....I cant believe people would hate cilantro (coriander leaves)
its a crime not to put it in a lot of my native Afghan dishes....and whats salsa without any cilantro??

Even when we make Mexican, we put cilantro in it......wow...

thanks for the article OP...a real eye opener! hehe

I hate it. Totally ruins anything it is in for me.

I would absolutely love to visit Vietnam, but the cilantro is literally the only thing that's stopping me.

I make my own guacamole and salsa and substitute parsley (which I love) for cilantro.

I don't eat Indian food at all, and cilantro is definately a big reason.

So, if I make my fresh salsa, serve it to you and say the bits of green leaves in it are coriander, you'll like it? Or are you saying you don't mind coriander seed? :)

I love the taste and smell of cilantro, but the leaves have to picked clean from the stem. If I see any stems, even the tiniest one, it turns me off. Can't explain it.

As much as I detest cilantro, it wouldn't stop me from visiting somewhere. Not every dish in Vietnam contains cilantro. Also, Trader Joes makes an excellent cilantro-free quacamole.

Parsley in guacomole? YECK!!!!

:D

I love cilantro, could eat it daily.

We'll see. I'd probably still go. If all else fails, I know they have McDonalds. ;)

As for store bought guac, that's another thread, but I alwasy prefer to make my own. Takes only a few minutes.

I tested this cilantro hatred thing at dinner last night. Out of a group of 8, without being prompted two people said "it tastes like soap."

Interesting in that they were not prompted and had not read the article. Thanks for your input.

Cilantro....mmmmmm! I had chicken and cilantro (heavy on the cilantro!) Asian dumplings for my lunch today. :)

I'm a huge cilantro lover as well but everyone I know who doesn't like it, hates it...boo to them:D

I adore a beautiful salsa ( perfect with grilled chicken) made from finely chopped watermelon, red onion, coriander and a squeeze of lime.Summer in a sauce.Yummy

mango and peach work well in such a combo as well, with a bit or a lot of jalapeno as well ;)

Thanks for the link! I also absolutely HATE cilantro. I've even tried to like it but I just can't. I can tell, even in very small amounts, when it's in my food. I can't explain it, but it makes my brain hurt.