I wouldn’t characterize it as a ‘soap’ flavor, but it is nasty. When I bite into something loaded with cilantro I get the same sensation as biting into a wad of tinfoil. In the past ten-or-so years restaurants have gotten into the practice of dumping tons of cilantro on everything to give it “authentic Southwestern flavor”.
Coriander and cilantro are the same thing…?? Really? Why does it have two names?
I LOVE cilantro. The more the better. I love a salsa that’s full of it. Cilantro and pico de gallo make EVERYTHING better.
I’ve never heard of this soapy business, but it does explain the strong feelings of people who don’t like cilantro, which have always baffled me. I’d be pretty peeved if I put something on my breakfast taco that tasted like soap.
Just like they dump a bunch of cayenne in things to give them that “authentic Cajun flavor”. Bah!
I like cilantro and use it quite a bit, however, the strain of Basil sold in many grocery stores tastes like mold to me. we grow our own Basil n the back yard that tastes as Basil should. 
Probably I’m a mutant.
Judging by the Wiki article it seems like we use the term “cilantro” in the Americas because the word is of Spanish origin; we do, however, call the seeds coriander. My WAG is that we can get the seeds from anywhere since they’re dried, but since the leaf has to be used fresh, we’re used to the dishes with coriander seeds (like Indian food) coming from regions that use the term “coriander”, and many dishes with the fresh leaf - at least originally, until we got used to using the herb more commonly in the US - were ones from Mexico, which called the leaf “cilantro.”
^ Cilantro is the leaves of the coriander plant.
And it doesn’t taste like soap. It tastes like love.
Hmmmm, cooked Palmolive does sound unappetizing.
Since I only eat cilantro raw (as far as I know), I wasn’t sure if it only got soapy-tasting after you cooked it.
It’s hard to imagine a life without raw cilantro. 
Cilantro is the spanish word for coriander. I guess since it’s mostly used for cooking with mexican food in the US, that name stuck when using the leafy greens though coriander is used to describe the seeds.
And I see I’ve been badly beaten to the answer. Dammit!
Put me solidly in the ‘I LOVE IT’ camp, btw.
I didn’t know about the soap thing. I have a recipe for pesto made with fresh coriander, garlic and hazlenuts which I make quite often.
While the soap taste is pretty moderate (ie, not enough to make me reject the dish), it seems to be true that the dang herb lowers your blood pressure. I’d noticed that eating dishes containing cilantro made me dizzy several months before hearing about the “good for your heart” reputation.
The natural state of my blood pressure is “about floor level,” so anything that lowers it is Bad and pass the salt thank you and no, I don’t want Lo-Salt, I mean the real stuff, Sodium Chloride dagnabit…
The seeds are usually called coriander, while the leaves are cilantro. In the US, at least: I think British English uses the same name for both.
I can taste the soapy flavor, but it’s not so strong as to render dishes inedible, and in fact I’ve come to like it in appropriately small doses. I’ve heard speculation that this is the heterozygous state for the soap-tasting gene, but a survey of my extended family does not seem to support this hypothesis.
I’m not sure “soap” is quite accurate— it’s more like an aromatic additive used in dishwashing liquid, to make it smell flowery. I never made the connection until I read about it, and although I can somewhat see the similiarity now (or at least understand how some might perceive it), I fortunately still love the stuff. I pity those who taste only soap.
I think it is horrific. It reminds me of lemon Joy or Pledge. And practically every restaurant around here plants a huge bouquet of it on the dish–ugh! I believe I may have posted here about the site ihatecilantro.com–they have hilarious haikus devoted to the evil stink weed.
[aside]Do you have an issue with all public polls? I ask because this is now the second time I’ve seen you say something about it. And the reasons for making it public are probably as varied as those for making them private.[/aside]
To answer the topic, I do indeed like a little bit of cilantro despite its slightly soapy taste.
I love the smell, but yea, soap taste.
It’s a big ingredient in cheviche too. I have a friend who loves cheviche cause it’s from where she grew up so I’ve made it a few times and ate it with her, but danged if I don’t eat around the cilantro.
Worst poll ever, at least as far as the setup - seeing that all but one of the possible answers requires you to believe that cilantro has a soapy taste and/or
tastes bad. The only other option requires you to worship the herb.
I like salsa and Mexican dishes prepared with cilantro. It’s not the Greatest Herb Ever, but it works for me. I feel sorry for people who get an off-taste from it, just as I feel sorry for the wretches who are convinced that sages smell like cat piss.
I wonder how much of this is genetic, and how much is upbringing in which children are raised to believe that strong odors and flavors are “bad”.
In such cases, I recommend soothing meals such as Campbell’s tomato soup followed by Kraft macaroni and cheese. And maybe some Cool Whip for dessert.
No, it’s no bad because it’s a strong flavor, it’s bad because it tastes like bloody SOAP!
I love raw onions, chili’s, liverwurst, horseradish, wasabi and a boatload of other things that have “strong flavors”, but they don’t bloody taste like SOAP!
whew. ok, I’m done now.
^ ditto.
I love strong flavors. I hate cilantro. Why? Because it tastes bad to me. It tastes bad whether there is a hint of bad or a bushel of bad, it’s all bad to me.
And how do you know what soap tastes like? Most people use toothpaste. And bloody soap - even weirder. Are you in the habit of biting down hard on the kind of soap they use to wash horses?
I bet you’ve never had Meyer’s Superior Cocktail Sauce, which employs dry hot Chinese mustard moistened to the proper consistency with Tabasco. It’ll elevate your flaps.
Oh, and if you think liverwurst has a “strong” taste, I suspect your fungiform papillae need replacement.
None of it’s upbringing, but thank you so much for the implication that I’m a close-minded jackass who’s afraid of good food.
I love garlic and onions and wasabi and dark chocolate and cheeses that smell like feet and a hundred other strongly flavored things that my parents didn’t cook when I was a kid. And I HATE cilantro, because it tastes like a cross between detergent and rotting garbage.
The adjectives I would use to describe the flavor of cilantro are ‘bright’ and ‘fresh’.
It’s good stuff. I am glad I don’t have the genetic vagary that makes it taste like soap.