Cilantro-Love It or Hate It, There's a Reason

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I have a problem with one of the first statements in the article, which leads me to believe the author knows not of what he speaks: The herb is not called cilantro in North America and coriander in Britian. Cilantro is the leaves and stems of the plant, while coriander is the seeds, and they have two totally different smells and flavours.
 
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I beg to differ with one thing in that article which makes me doubt the author knows not of what he speaks: The herb is not called cilantro in North America and coriander in Britian. Cilantro is the leaves and stems of the plant, while coriander is the seeds, and they have two totally different smells and flavours.
I guarantee you that in Britain, as well as Australia, both the leaves and seeds are called coriander. In recipes you generally see it differentiated as "fresh coriander" vs "coriander seed".

Here are two recipes from Nigella Lawson. Note that one calls for coriander seed, while the other calls for fresh coriander:

BBC - Food - Recipes : Pantry paella

Nigella Lawson's Aromatic Christmas Ham: Recipe For Show-Stopping Festive Ham from Nigella Christmas Cookbook | Suite101.com
 
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SLOB, reporters are just that, REPORTERS. They don't need to know everything about the subject in order to write an article about it. My husband is a reporter, and he's a pretty amazing guy, but to expect him to be expert on everything he covers is a pretty huge deal. Now if this guy were being published in some herb bible and was touted as an expert in the field...different story. ;)

The point of the article is not whether cilantro or coriander is the correct term, its about the genetic link to disliking or liking it. I don't see an indifferent camp here at all. I don't really care one way or another about it. I generally find that people who DO like it use WAY too much of it. I could do a bit of it, but find it quite overpowering. Ooooo wait, maybe that makes me a hater?:LOL:
 
Interesting article. I printed it out to take to the lady who runs the local hydroponic organic farm. Last week she was offering plain samples of a Japanese leafy green called Shingiku for tasting. I couldn't identify the flavor; then she suggested, "celery?" That was it. But I was embarrassed to admit that it also had a slightly soapy taste. I haven't experienced cilantro tasting soapy and didn't really know what people were talking about, but I know now. Can't say I actually like cilantro, but don't actively dislike it, either. It's enlightening to know that the soapiness may be in me rather than the plant.

I bought a small baggie* of the shingiku and used it in a stir-fry; it wasn't soapy (to me) at all after cooking or perhaps it was a matter of being in combination with other greens.

*I'm doing my darnedest to support her and buy whatever my budget allows. She has a lot of okra right now, but I draw the line at okra.
 
I guarantee you that in Britain, as well as Australia, both the leaves and seeds are called coriander. In recipes you generally see it differentiated as "fresh coriander" vs "coriander seed".

Here are two recipes from Nigella Lawson. Note that one calls for coriander seed, while the other calls for fresh coriander:

BBC - Food - Recipes : Pantry paella

Nigella Lawson's Aromatic Christmas Ham: Recipe For Show-Stopping Festive Ham from Nigella Christmas Cookbook | Suite101.com


+1
 
love it--would even wear it as a fragrance....
:LOL: This reminds me of something I read about women in the Renaissance era who rubbed basil on their bosom for an aphrodisiac...so I tried it lol...let me just say that green bosoms are not attractive :rolleyes:

Back to cilantro...I used to hate it and now it's growing on me (no, not on my bosom lol). I really like it in guacamole and fish tacos but not really anything else.
 
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:LOL: This reminds me of something I read about women in the Renaissance era who rubbed basil on their bosom for an aphrodisiac...so I tried it lol...let me just say that green bosoms are not attractive :rolleyes:

Back to cilantro...I used to hate it and now it's growing on me (no, not on my bosom lol). I really like it in guacamole and fish tacos but not really anything else.

Tell that to Captain Kirk...:)

I love cilantro, Shrek hates it.
 
I am not sure about the genetic thing. I love cilantro. On the other hand, my mother absolutely hated it even though she said she really wished she could like it for the health benefits it is supposed to have. As far as I know, my dad never tried any. He died in '95. My uncle, (my mother's brother) loves it.
I suppose there could be a genetic disposition to disliking or liking something but taste is so subjective anyway, I have a hard time getting my old head around such an explanation. Some folks just don't like some things that other folks do. I never needed any other explanation than that.
 
I am firmly in the "hater" group. Our local Mexican place sprinkles it on their salsa. I can't stand it. I ask them to leave it off. I definitely experience the soapy taste and it will take a while to rid my mouth of it.
 
I am not sure about the genetic thing. I love cilantro. On the other hand, my mother absolutely hated it even though she said she really wished she could like it for the health benefits it is supposed to have. As far as I know, my dad never tried any. He died in '95. My uncle, (my mother's brother) loves it.
I suppose there could be a genetic disposition to disliking or liking something but taste is so subjective anyway, I have a hard time getting my old head around such an explanation. Some folks just 't like some things that other folks do. I never needed any other explanation than that.


Hoot, I think it goes beyond personal preferences. Some folks dislike it because it has a distinct soapy taste. Those who like it don't detect the soapy taste. I'd bet they wouldn't like it if it tasted soapy to them.

This article makes sense to me as it explains that soapy/not soapy difference. This isn't the first time this theory has been discussed.
 
:LOL: This reminds me of something I read about women in the Renaissance era who rubbed basil on their bosom for an aphrodisiac...so I tried it lol...let me just say that green bosoms are not attractive :rolleyes:

Back to cilantro...I used to hate it and now it's growing on me (no, not on my bosom lol). I really like it in guacamole and fish tacos but not really anything else.

Geeze, I'm so glad you're back MA........it's been too long since I've snorted my ice tea.........:LOL:

I've lived with Mexican food all my life and my parents cooked Mexican food but I know they never used cilantro, nor did they carry it in our grocery store. Growing up, I wondered why I liked restaurant Mexican food so much more than what we made at home and later I discovered that cilantro was the missing ingredient. I love the stuff, but my parents must have hated it.
 
I used to hate cilantro, now I love it.

As far as tasting like soap, raspberries are like that for me. I like things like raspberry jam (except for the seeds), but as a rule, I don't like them. Raspberry candies are especially horrible. You might as well just eat a bar of soap.
 
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