by Julia Schrenkler
Member since:
August 31, 2005

Do you say "yes" or "no" to Cilantro?

April 21, 2006 11:11 AM EDT
views: 144 | rating: 10/10 (4 votes) | comments: 43

Ohhhhh Cilantro. Coriander. Chinese/Mexican Parsley. By any name I adore this herb, but my better half says on a good day it tastes like old-fashioned soap.

This must be a genetic trick. The first time I tasted Cilantro the clouds parted, a happy sunbeam crossed my face, and I knew I'd never be the same. How is it that I would end up with someone who thinks this wonderful herb tastes like insecticide, and it would happen to be the one of the only flavors my much beloved and missed Julia Child disliked? (No really, Julia Child disliked Cilantro.)

Thanks to a post on Boing Boing there's been a rush of attention at ihatecilantro.com. As a Cilantro lover partnered with someone who would rather eat out of a garbage can than taste it, I had to wonder about other you, other Gatherers and foodies:

Do you say "yes" or "no" to Cilantro?


______________

Julia Schrenkler
American Public Media Interactive Producer
food.gather.com

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Comments: 43

Caryn D. Apr 21, 2006, 11:30am EDT
First, what kind of soap do you use?

Second, I say ... yes, oh yes, cilantro... rock me Amadeus, er, I mean Cilantro.
Madame Donna C. Apr 21, 2006, 11:34am EDT
I say YES to cilantro!
Julia Schrenkler Apr 21, 2006, 11:35am EDT
Lever 2000 for the shower, Dawn for dishes, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Lavender Hand Soap Liquid at all sinks (the Lemon Verbena one is nice too) Lava for the garage/work areas, Meguiar's for the automobiles, Arm&Hammer for laundry.

I love Cilantro and don't get the "smells like soap" statement. I would carry a nosegay of Cilantro if it wouldn't disrupt household harmony.
Julia Schrenkler Apr 21, 2006, 11:36am EDT
*high five* Donna!
Valerie L. Apr 21, 2006, 11:36am EDT
Yes, most definitely, yes! I will eat it any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Julia Schrenkler Apr 21, 2006, 11:37am EDT
Sunday is coming up, Valerie. Will you use it in a salsa, as a garnish or in a salad... or "yes"?
Jeff Harkness Apr 21, 2006, 11:43am EDT
YES to cilantro!

But what mystifies me about this debate is how utterly off the anti-cilantro camp is in their descriptions of the stuff. Soapy? (which I've heard numerous times) That's like saying chocolate tastes fishy, or that potatoes have a pronounced minty flavor. Nonesense!
Julia Schrenkler Apr 21, 2006, 11:47am EDT
Yeah, I don't know what that is about. It must be genetic. Cilantro-haters say it even smells like rancid soap. They must taste a sharp dryness or something.
jessie voigts Apr 21, 2006, 12:15pm EDT
love cilantro, except in huge quantities...one time a friend of ours from australia used 2 bunches of cilantro and one head of lettuce. it was too much of a good thing. but it is so yummy, sprinkled around...yum!
Richard Frisbie Apr 21, 2006, 12:27pm EDT
Yes - most emphatically - YES! - to cilantro. Your husband is a perfect example of "opposites attract" - but I would find out about food before I asked about past partners. It is THAT important.
Faith H. Apr 21, 2006, 12:40pm EDT
I love cilantro, but one time, mistook the bunch of cilantro for flat leaf parsley while making tabouli! Well, I liked it but my guests were a bit taken aback! Teaches me to check before chopping.
Julia Schrenkler Apr 21, 2006, 12:42pm EDT
Whoa, Faith! Must admit I would have enjoyed it too, but can see where your guests were expecting classic tabouli and essentially got a Cilantro salad. Whew.

You reminded me of something tho - how many recipes say you can substitute "regular" Parsley for Cilantro?
Lesley S. Apr 21, 2006, 1:50pm EDT
I HATE cilantro. Hate it more than any other flavor. It taste like bad soap. What's worse is when restaurants don't say it's in certain items on the menu and I get some random tuna sashimi dish with cilantro - GROSS! But I'm a foodie at heart - and will try anything - as long as there's no cilantro in it.
James Sylvia Apr 21, 2006, 2:06pm EDT
Lesley,
a real "foodie" would appreciate the savory sensation and versatility that is the Chinese Parsley we Americans call "cilantro."

Cilantro is probably one of the the best parts of Mexican, Caribbean and esepcially Asian cooking. You better get on the Coriander train because it's leaving the station.
Julia Schrenkler Apr 21, 2006, 2:09pm EDT
Lesley - does it overpower the other flavors? I find that when I'm eating a dish that includes dill, everything tastes like dill. It is the only flavor I find, the rest of the meal is just various textures and degrees of dill. I don't find it gross tho. Are there other people in your family who have the same response to Cilantro?

James are you the ticketmaster for the Coriander train? Count me in...
0000-dashiell5-0000 Apr 21, 2006, 2:10pm EDT
In a word: no.

(Pass the parsley, Rosemary.)
Angela C. Apr 21, 2006, 2:11pm EDT
Cilantro is delicious. It is so pungent and really accentuates the flavor of meats when paired properly. A resounding YES from me to cilantro. Parsley is also delicious, and I add it as often as I can when I'm cooking!
Julia Schrenkler Apr 21, 2006, 2:13pm EDT
Uh oh, I sense herb puns coming on. Heh, KR.

Angela do you prefer Flat Leaf or Curly Parsley? IMO, Parsley is underrated and doesn't appear often enough. It can really make a dish pop.
David Woodrow Apr 21, 2006, 4:25pm EDT
Lesley, if you tasted my salsa, I'll bet you would change your mind about cilantro. Flat leaf, of course!
Julia Schrenkler Apr 21, 2006, 4:32pm EDT
David, you are a salsa tease! Do you make it by taste or do you measure? Do you have any salsa secrets?
Angela C. Apr 21, 2006, 4:58pm EDT
I definitely prefer curly parsley! Very tasty.
Richard Frisbie Apr 21, 2006, 5:16pm EDT
"kitchen relations" sounds like a good title for an article, or a two word challange! Today's article "EATING THE UNBORN" was actually inspired when a guest at dinner said no thank you to a beautifully prepared and aromatic fish dish placed on the table. Since it was presented as the only course, I thought he (the cad) should have accepted a small portion and moved it around on his plate politely. Instead he said I don't eat fish. Good thing I didn't have a carving knife in my hands. THAT would be kitchen relations for you.
C G. Apr 21, 2006, 6:28pm EDT
No offense- glad you like it- I don't! I will be sure to leave you plenty of Cilantro...
Robert V. Apr 21, 2006, 6:44pm EDT
Cilantro is a wonderful herb that seems to be right at home in a variety of ethnic cuisines: Mexican, Chinese, and Indian, most notably. I think cilantro works with these foods because of the way its grassy, pungent flavor effectively cuts through heat and other assertive flavors to accentuate the dish. This same food pairing strategy is the reason why wines such as Sauvignon Blank are dynamite with many Thai and Mexican foods.

Perhaps Julia Child disliked cilantro because of her fondness for French cuisine. I would think that cilantro would overwhelm the subtle, complex flavors of French food.

I recently tried an Indian Chicken recipe by the renowned cook, Madhur Jaffrey, that called for 3 cups of cilantro. It seems like overkill, but, when paired with the flavors of ginger and garlic, the result is sublime.
Tom C. Apr 22, 2006, 9:51pm EDT
Yes to cilantro!

To all of you cilantro haters who claim it tastes like soap - you must have been foul-mouthed children, to know what soap tastes like!
Pat Salber Apr 23, 2006, 2:32pm EDT
I first tasted cilantro on a trip to the Yucatan peninsula many years ago. I found it so distasteful that I would pick out every last bit before downing my cerviche. Somewhere along the line, I grew to like it. Now it is one of my favorite herbs. I have tried to grow it -- every other herb thrives in my northern California garden, but cilantro is picky...first hot day and it bolts to seed. Luckily, it is available in all of my local grocery stores.
Jennifer Beisser Apr 23, 2006, 3:02pm EDT
I was told by Chef Gwin that it's all about our tastebuds. Mine love those little leaves. Jenn
Kelly Kingman Apr 23, 2006, 7:37pm EDT
I went through a shameless addiction to all things cilantro at one point. I know some people hate it but when you love it you LOVE it. There must be a chemical basis... I say hell YES to cilantro. I'll eat it all by itself.
Thomas Leggate Apr 24, 2006, 5:44pm EDT
I love cilantro as long as it's in moderation. It's one of the few ingredients that can detroy a recipe if overused. Used right, it brightens dull flavors and brings out the best! Go cilantro train go!
James Holloway Apr 24, 2006, 5:49pm EDT
My wife makes fun of me each time we go to the grocery store because I always have to stop by the cilantro section and have a sniff! What an amazing smell!
0000-jmckee-0000 Apr 25, 2006, 10:05am EDT
We love the stuff; my wife is thinking of putting it in the herb garden this year. Gotta love a plant that gives you two seasonings: The seeds, which are Coriander, and the lovely leaves that are Cilantro. I like it especially when grilling chicken, in the marinade, the sauce, or both.
Donald H. Apr 25, 2006, 10:14am EDT
Cilantro is an excellent flavor enhancer as well as a flvorful herb in its own right. I enjoy it in many cuisines under all of its names.
Laura C. Apr 25, 2006, 1:10pm EDT
Being an "up and comer" in the world of food, I tend to leave out ingredients that I don't know much about. One being cilantro. I always just think of it as normal parsley, similar to what you see as garnish in sub-par restaurants, so I never really know what it has to offer a dish. Especially if there are other more flavorful (in my mind) ingredients present in the recipe.

I guess next time I happen upon a recipe with cilantro, I'll spend the extra couple dollars and try it out! Thanks for the article Julia.
Ron Hall Apr 25, 2006, 1:30pm EDT
The "soap" comment is pretty common, and I think it must be genetic. All I taste is heaven when I eat cilantro. I've also heard that pound for pound, more cilantro/coriander plants are grown worldwide than lettuce. I can't confirm that, but regardless of how the tally goes, I'm a faithful servant of this noble herb.
Tara V. Apr 25, 2006, 5:13pm EDT
I am a huge fan of Cilantro. I use it in my Chili, Chicken soup, and just tear some off and put it on sandwiches! I have found that unless you want your fingers to smell like cilantro for hours, gloves are a necessary.
Kathleen Puffer Apr 27, 2006, 3:44pm EDT
In a buffet line, I have seen my daughter, a cilantro loather, instantly bond with others in the line by simply stating, while hovering over a dish laced with cilantro, "please, not the evil herb, not cilantro, anything but that."
Vanessa Modestti Apr 30, 2006, 2:00am EDT
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssss, I love cilantro but my son hates it!!!!!!!!!!
Julia Schrenkler May 1, 2006, 2:06pm EDT
Who knew that Cilantro was a polarizing herb? The people who love it adore it, those opposed will eat anything else to avoid the leaves. Can we all get along, at least in the kitchen?
Jen O. May 1, 2006, 8:38pm EDT
I hated cilantro at my first encounter, in a vietnamese noodle salad that went horribly, horribly wrong. But I think thai food and salsa won me over. There's even cilantro growing fast and furious in my chia herb garden. I say cilantro, YES!
Dorine H. May 2, 2006, 1:44am EDT
I adore cilantro! Yes yes yes!!!
Cari Ness May 2, 2006, 5:41pm EDT
Yep, I love it, too. I recently made a citrus-cilantro vinagrette that was not only excellent on salad, but lovely drizzled over pork chops as well.
David C. Mar 29, 2008, 7:10am EDT
a definite belated yes to cilantro!

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