Is there a genetic predisposition towards cilantro?

[Anton Sherwood]

ste...@verstek.com (Stever Robbins) wrote:

: > I've heard that cilantro tastes like soap to some people, and that
: > it's a genetic predisposition. [...]

What kind of soap, by the way? It doesn't taste like Ivory bar soap
to me, but I suppose it's a bit like Doctor Bronner's (dilute! dilute!
o.k.!). Mostly it brings to my mind a bit of foil packaging that got
in by mistake.
--
Anton Sherwood *\\* +1 415 267 0685 *\\* DASher @ netcom .com
"How'd ya like to climb this high WITHOUT no mountain?" --Porky Pine 70.6.19

[John M. Lawler]

Anton Sherwood <das...@netcom.com> writes:
>ste...@verstek.com (Stever Robbins) writes:

>: > I've heard that cilantro tastes like soap to some people, and that
>: > it's a genetic predisposition. [...]

>Mostly it brings to my mind a bit of foil packaging that got
>in by mistake.

I'll bet there are some bugs that find it godawful. But we're not the
predators it was evolved to disgust, or poison, so reactions may vary.

It's unusual in that it's so, um, loud a flavor -- the NY Times
calls it a "Johnny One-Note". And the flavor of the leaf (cilantro) is
so different from the flavor of the seed pod (coriander).

I tend to perceive cilantro as industrial residue from manufacturing the
aromatics in coriander, which one supposes *attracts* certain bugs.

Pretty good engineering, but it's certainly an acquired taste.

-John Lawler http://www.lsa.umich.edu/ling/jlawler/ U Michigan Linguistics
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