Cilantrophobes: Blame Chemistry

Wednesday, 14 April 2010 | by Pat's Picks

In another fascinating piece for the New York Times, food scientist Harold McGee writes that “food partisanship doesn?t usually reach the same heights of animosity as the political variety, except in the case of the anti-cilantro party.” Turns out that the herb contains some of the same fat molecules found in soap, which makes it taste soapy to some palates. McGee says you can train your mind to tolerate the herb. And for “cilantrophobes” hoping to change their ways, he says crushing the leaves mitigates some of the soapy taste and suggests making a cilantro-based pesto.

(Photo courtesy of ingridtaylar via Flickr)

Recipe: Cilantro Sauce

Blog: I Hate Cilantro

Speaking of herbs, the Indianapolis Star has a nice piece in this morning’s paper about cooking with fresh herbs.