# A study on cilantro. With poll! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903 "2011-03-24T23:02:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/1 "2011-03-24T23:02:17Z")
Apparently, at least some people who don’t like cilantro are missing a key smell receptor and are not supertasters, at least according to this (not terribly rigorous, but still scientific) study: [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98695984](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98695984) I know I’m a supertaster because we did that experiment in 8th grade, and I’ll never forget the terrible taste of that little piece of paper. I also love cilantro’s smell and flavor–it’s my human-nip. I’m curious to know whether this information is generalizable to a larger population than me and the article’s author and friends, though. If you don’t know whether or not you’re a supertaster, that’s fine. I want as many people to answer as possible! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/2 "2011-03-24T23:08:49Z")
I did that taste test too, way back when - I touched the tip of my tongue to the paper, spit it out and started wiping my tongue off - no need to chew for a minute for me. I love cilantro - LOVE it! I am also a supersmeller - I love the smell of it, too. I think the author is right - people who hate cilantro just aren’t experiencing the wonderfulness of it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/3 "2011-03-24T23:11:22Z")
Poll’s up now! I tried to make the options exhaustive but it’s always possible I missed something. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/4 "2011-03-24T23:24:57Z")
I voted “Other” because I have no idea what Cilantro smells or tastes like. Or indeed what it even is. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/5 "2011-03-24T23:32:33Z")
“dislike” is not a strong enough word for how I feel about cilantro. It is a vile, disgusting substance. I “dislike” it the way others would “dislike” having Dawn dishsoap poured on their food. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/6 "2011-03-24T23:34:23Z")
You may know it under its other _nom de cuisine_ of [coriander](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cilantro). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/7 "2011-03-24T23:34:45Z")
I adore cilantro, both the smell and the taste. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/8 "2011-03-24T23:44:41Z")
I’ve never tested for being a super-taster, though other people have suggested I might be one based on me picking up on flavors they don’t notice, and I hate hate hate hate HATE cilantro. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/9 "2011-03-24T23:50:08Z")
Yeah, the “it tastes like soap” option definitely needs to be included. It’s a specific genetic quirk. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/10 "2011-03-24T23:50:19Z")
I don’t taste soap when I eat something with cilantro, but I don’t taste anything else either. There’s just a slight sensation of heat. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/11 "2011-03-25T00:05:55Z")
I’m a supertaster, and I’m okay with cilantro. It tends to overpower other flavors in a dish, but I don’t despise it or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/12 "2011-03-25T00:06:28Z")
Heat? How odd. I love it, don’t know if I’m a supertaster or not. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/13 "2011-03-25T00:26:56Z")
I voted I don’t like the taste or smell, but I don’t really know what it smells like. But I very much dislike the taste, so I sure wasn’t going to vote that I _liked_ the smell. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/14 "2011-03-25T00:29:31Z")
Moving from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/15 "2011-03-25T00:33:49Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Poll’s up now! I tried to make the options exhaustive but it’s always possible I missed something. I actually don’t mind the smell… but to say I “dislike” the flavor is a grotesque understatement. I _loathe_ the flavor, I _detest_ it, from my point of view it might as well be trimmings of Satan’s asshairs, it tastes _that horrific_. But the smell? Doesn’t’ bother me at all. Just anonymous green smell. So I would have liked to see “Don’t mind the smell, absolutely loathe, detest, and hate the taste”. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/16 "2011-03-25T00:34:07Z")
Need to specify leaf or seed. “Coriander” in the US refers to the seed, which does have a taste one could describe as “heat”, where “cilantro” refers to the leaf/stems, which I’ve never heard referred to as hot. Don’t know if “coriander” can refer to the leaf in other English speaking countries or not, but assuming the OP is American, she’s probably talking about the \*fresh leaf \*of the coriander plant, aka, cilantro. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/17 "2011-03-25T01:15:19Z")
I love cilantro. The plant I hate is watercress. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/18 "2011-03-25T01:15:39Z")
OK, if it’s the same as coriander, then I like both the smell and the flavour. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/19 "2011-03-25T01:55:30Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > “dislike” is not a strong enough word for how I feel about cilantro. It is a vile, disgusting substance. I “dislike” it the way others would “dislike” having Dawn dishsoap poured on their food. This is me to a tee. Blech, Yuck, Gross, etc. etc. etc. What’s the supertaster test? I’ve never heard of a test but I’d like my gf to take it. Her sense of taste and smell are hyper alert and I’ve accused her of being a supertaster but didn’t know of a test. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903/20 "2011-03-25T01:59:16Z")
Missed the edit window… [Nevermind](http://supertastertest.com/) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-study-on-cilantro-with-poll/575903.md?page=2)