Cilantro. Yes or yuck?

[trof]

I've read that how you taste cilantro depends on your genetic makeup.
To me it tastes like too much chlorine in a swimming pool when you get the water up your nose.

Not completely nauseating, but unpleasant.
:-(

[Moondog]

1. What would pico de gallo be without cilantro?

[shanti]

22. hello!

:hi:

[Moondog]

40. And a hello to you too!

:hi:

[DevonRex]

51. Edible?

:evilgrin:

[HopeHoops]

2. We grow our own - PERFECT for salsa and coriander seeds out the wazoo are a bonus!

Last season my wife made a shitload of salsa entirely from ingredients we grew. The cilantro was critical to the mixture.

[MiddleFingerMom]

7. Considering MY post -- "out the wazoo" might be a LEETLE too much inforamation, tyvm. n/t

[HopeHoops]

11. But accurate. We bought ONE plant several years ago - kept it in a small pot.

Enough seeds escaped that it took over a good part of the side of the garage. We harvest most of the leaves and seeds each year but enough seeds escape to keep it coming back each year. And don't even get me started on the banana mint.

[chollybocker]

3. Blech. Tastes like lawn clippings.

[Love Bug]

62. Yes it does.

x(

[GoCubsGo]

4. Only in small doses.

I feel the same way about cumin, too. Meh.

[MiddleFingerMom]

5. It was an acquired taste for me after I moved to Tucson...

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...and when I use it, it's with a very light hand -- but it definitely
sparks up Mexican foods of all kinds.
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And I agree... whats "pico de ballo" without it:
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Mixture: (for removing genital odors and halitosis) Boil 2 quarts of water
and add 3½ teaspoons of dry Cilantro seed, reducing heat to simmer for 1½
hours or until volume is reduced by half. Add 2 teaspoons orange zest and
one pitted date, finely diced. Continue to simmer for an additional 15
minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of both dried Cilantro and
fresh parsley, finely chopped. A few drops of mint may be added. For gargle,
use ½ cup of cooled mixture. Filter, seal and refrigerate. Use the warm
concoction for removing odors from genitalia. May also be helpful to soak
cotton and apply to toothache.
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http://www.herbco.com/p-302-cilantro-domestic-cs.aspx
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I don't recommend recycling those mixtures.
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You folks teach me the coolest stuff.
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[supernova]

6. I could bathe in the stuff

Yum Yum!

[MiddleFingerMom]

8. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! n/t

[Dr. Strange]

15. And take pictures of you bathing in it.

And post them here.

[geardaddy]

30. I could too.

Because it tastes like soap to me.

[Arugula Latte]

38. Me too! Love it!

:9

[KamaAina]

9. Yes!!

The people bearing the cilantro = soap gene are to be pitied even more than those (like Republican Stepdad) with the asparagus = pee smells like a skunk attack gene.

[geardaddy]

31. My pee smells when I eat asparagus

but I don't mind that smell.

[stuntcat]

10. once in a while

I like it but once I've had some I don't need any more for a couple of weeks.

I've had it coming back in the garden every year from seeds, I think it's already started this year.

[femmocrat]

12. I grow some every year, just in case I need it for a recipe.

Funny, I've never needed it for a recipe. :shrug:

I really don't care for it.

[madinmaryland]

13. Nice post, Bobby Flay!

:P

He puts that in everything.

[distantearlywarning]

14. I love it!

I could eat it in nearly everything.

I feel bad for the people who think it tastes like soap. If you have the genes that make it not taste like soap, it tastes absolutely delicious.

[AtomicKitten]

16. Cilantro is gold, baby. Pure gold.

[Demoiselle]

17. I hate it fresh...like it dried (Coriander). Weird, huh?

[era veteran]

33. I love it fresh, dry it's useless for Mexican cuisine, IMO

Celebrating herbal diversity.

[Demoiselle]

35. You're right....

A little bit of fresh cilantro in Mexican food is fine with me...Guacamole and that whole crowd. Coriander works with a whole different world.

[antigone382]

42. well...coriander is the seeds. cilantro is the leaves.

The leaves don't really have much flavor dried. Coriander is kinda citrusy, in my opinion.

I love both, in huge amounts.

[Demoiselle]

43. I didn't know that! Thanks.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

18. Yuck. Period.

I guess I have the wrong genes, but oh boy.

More of it for the rest of you!

I can taste even the tiniest bit in anything...

[Phentex]

48. It's known to taste like soap for many people...

I didn't realize this until we talked about it in the Cooking & Baking forum a long time ago. I can take it in small doses but it tastes like soap to me! I was glad when the fad died down a little.

[yellowdogintexas]

19. one of the great culinary discoveries I made after moving to Texas

I love the stuff

[kwassa]

20. Cilantro garnished my Moraccan Eggplant tonight.

Too much information?

Very fresh and tasty cilantro.

Essential to Mexican food, as well.

[shanti]

21. yes, absolutely!

gotta have it, especially in salsa. soap, maybe, but i love it anyway.

[MrScorpio]

23. It tastes like soap to me

You can have it

[Sisaruus]

56. Me, too.

Yuck.

[MilesColtrane]

24. It is an essential ingredient.

TexMex would taste like dogfood without it.

[Arkansas Granny]

25. A little goes a long way. I can handle a bit of cilantro in a dish, but

too much and it tastes like soap.

[av8rdave]

26. I am going to try growing my own. I LOVE it

It's a critical part of my homemade salsa.

[seabeyond]

28. excellent in salsa, peco. but hubby starting garden again this year. i think he has tried

it.

if i remember, will ask him to try again this year.

he has spearment and another that keeps coming back. grows crazy. he puts in his sun tea and is delicious.

[av8rdave]

29. Spearmint is awesome

As I recall, it grows like a weed. I might even be able to do it.

[seabeyond]

34. he has spearmint and another one. i like the other in the tea better. but ya....

it goes. he has it seperated pretty well. first thing up this spring to go into the first hot tea.

[seabeyond]

27. i love cilantro. i love the taste, LOVE the smell. hubby introduced it to me

and when in fridge, will put it in all kinds of stuff.

one of my favorites.

my father doesnt like it at all. surprised the shit out of me, cause i thought my new discovery of it would impress all.

oh... and saw genetic makeup... where is info on that. curious.

[geardaddy]

32. I don't mind a tiny bit

but when I lived in Taiwan, the street vendors put handfuls on top of this one kind of soup. Totally ruined it for me.

[RedCloud]

36. I grow that too!

[marmar]

37. LOVE cilantro.

nt

[HughBeaumont]

39. NOT on the Cilantro bus.

Not on the hummus train either.

Hate refried beans with the fury of a thousand suns. Hey, let's eat something that looks like it just poured out of your ass on a bad day! NOMS!

Pure mayonnaise is gross.

Ricotta, feta, cottage and bleu cheese - Big Fat NO on that quartet.

Can't eat lima or wax beans without gagging.

Canned green peas and beans suck.

Deviled eggs - nope.

No olives either. Like the oil, hate the fruit.

I can eat espresso beans. Can't drink coffee. Hate the smell, the taste, the urinary aftertaste, the smell of the spills, the clean-up, the nasty color and smell it turns when people put cream and sugar in it . . .

Whenever someone makes a casserole, I feel like throwing it against a wall and cooking them a real meal. Casseroles literally make me sick, especially green bean casseroles.

Yeah, I think that about covers it . . .

[stevenleser]

41. To me, it tastes like rotting lawn mixed with habanera pepper sauce

Its completely unpleasant.

[Odin2005]

44. LOL, a friend was just telling me today how much she HATES cilantro!

she said fresh cilantro smells horrible and made her feel sick!

I love the stuff.

[WinkyDink]

45. Love it! Moroccan couscous! Tex-Mex fajitas! Thai food!

[6000eliot]

46. It might as well be dog shit.

I read somewhere that fish a cilantro are two tastes that we are genetically predisposed not to like, and I can't stand either one.

[Rhiannon12866]

47. If I'm reading a recipe and it calls for cilantro, I stop right there...

x(

[GoCubsGo]

49. If the recipe looks good otherwise, I just leave it out.

I have made various recipes both with and without cilantro, or with less than is called for. In most cases, it doesn't affect the recipe if the cilantro is missing, or there is less of it. They usually call for too much to suit my taste, so I automatically cut back the amount I use. If I don't have any around, and am not planning to go to the grocery store, I cut it out altogether. The odd thing is, I prefer salsa that has a fair amount of cilantro in it over salsa without it. Weird.

[Rhiannon12866]

53. Well, that's it. It usually calls for so much of it

That I figured the recipe wouldn't work without it. I've wondered if there's anything you can substitute, like parsley or something, but since I'm not sure, I don't use the recipe. :(

[DevonRex]

50. Gag. Tastes like soap made from rancid lard.

I used to be ok with a little bit in salsa but even that is too much now.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

52. we put it in everything.

literally, everything but dessert

[laconicsax]

54. Cilantro can kiss you better than your husband.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN0X7hHNpuk

El perro, el perro es mi corazon
El gato, el gato no es bueno
Cilantro es cantante, Cilantro es muy famoso
Cilantro es el hombre con el queso del diablo
El perro, el perro nunca sin razon
El gato, el gato es obsceno
Cilantro es amante, Cilantro es cariñoso,
Cilantro el te da besos mejor que su esposo

[Chan790]

57. Cilantro is the man with the devil's cheese.

(Words to live by.)

[PBS Poll-435]

55. Sets off my heartburn like nothing else.

But I do like the taste with charo beans.

[freshwest]

58. Learning to love it for detoxing.

[Zorra]

59. Love it when used in the right proportion.

It can ruin a dish when even slightly overused, IMO.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

60. You couldn't have Bánh mì without it

My first impression of my first Bánh mì was that among the many different flavors, textures (and temperatures) of that tiny little sandwich, the cilantro really was the cherry on top of the sundae. I was surprised that the cilantro flavor rose above everything else, without overpowering it.

Also, I like to make the home-made version of El Pollo Loco's avocado salsa, which can't be made without cilantro.

I'm Italian...I don't think genetics has anything to do with it. There are some ethnic foods (and ingredients primarily used outside of Italian cooking or American "comfort foods") that I like, and others I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.

:toast:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

61. and life without banh mi is just sad.

:) really, i dont even think i can ever go back to live in india, as there is no banh mi