The Cilantro Between Us
This little plant elicits strong opinions
My life would be so much easier if I liked cilantro. Living the majority of my life in California, where there is an abundance of Mexican food, I’m the annoying one at the restaurant asking the waiter, “Does it have cilantro?” Then, disappointed, “Oh, it does? Can you leave it out?”
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Everyone at the table acts shocked. “What, are you kidding? You don’t like cilantro? How can you NOT love cilantro? I LOVE cilantro!”
Never, it seems, has there been an herb that has created such a divide. It’s like the red and blue states. I don’t see people having this reaction to sage or thyme. But with cilantro, it’s either, you’re with us or you’re against us.
So, I kept trying. I wanted to like it. And still, I couldn’t wait to get that taste out of my mouth.
And then, just when I was feeling like there must be something wrong with me, I mean seriously, how could I hate what others were touting as tasting so fresh, clean, and bright, I learned that it wasn’t my fault! Apparently, people who strongly dislike cilantro are born with some genetic variant. It lies deep inside a cluster of smell-influencing genes. There is a special protein that many of us are extremely sensitive to, causing us to dislike the smell and taste of cilantro. For those less sensitive, they will love it, like it, or possibly won’t taste it at all.
So, taking a deep breath, I feel much better. It looks like we can all move on. And, like the saying, two heads are better than one, so it goes, that with cilantro, maybe two recipes are better than one.
