# Do any other foods have the "cilantro" effect? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635 "2016-06-06T02:47:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/62 "2016-06-12T02:18:25Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > As far as Cilantro I literally learned to cook originally because Mexican food was my favorite, then pretty much overnight around '88 every dish in every Mexican place was contaminated with that shit. I haven’t been to a Mexican restaurant since 90 or so, there is nothing I can eat. Can’t you just ask for no cilantro? It’s usually sprinkled on right before serving, so it would trivial to leave off. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2016, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/63 "2016-06-12T08:52:48Z")
That would work… if cooks/preppers/servers _would actually do that_. Some places their work is such a routine for them they’ll do it without thinking. And forget it if cilantro is cooked with something… there’s just no way plucking out the vile weed is going to eliminate the taste after that. Diced up and mixed with something is also a serious problem. Fortunately, it usually is just a last-minute garnish, which means it can be plucked from the food if spotted. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/64 "2016-06-12T15:26:17Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I believe that cooking changes starches into sugars. :dubious: I think it’s something else that makes sweet potatoes nastier when cooked. The disgusting taste/aroma that cooked sweet taters have that raw ones don’t is anything but sweet. It’s definitely a malodorous effect. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2016, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/65 "2016-06-14T22:53:58Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > It only makes _some_ peoples’ urine smell funky, not everyone’s. Whether it funkifies your urine or not is a genetic trait. The people who say they can’t smell it probably are not being funkified. Actually that’s an ongoing argument as to whether people don’t produce the funk - or they do but can’t smell it. Regardless, I’m one of those who is affected and I blame Cecil Adams for this, as I had never noticed this until I read the Straight Dope column on the subject. I can eat cilantro just fine, for what it’s worth. Mushrooms, on the other hand. are pure EVIL INCARNATE and ruin any dish with their nasty rotting foulness and if you claim mushrooms are delicious you are wrong and evil and Satan’s spawn ;). ---
**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:** [June 14, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/66 "2016-06-14T23:30:37Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Actually that’s an ongoing argument as to whether people don’t produce the funk - or they do but can’t smell it. I can smell the funk with some peoples’ urine and not with other peoples’ urine. Unless my olfactory senses are cutting in and out randomly I don’t see any other explanation here. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/67 "2016-06-15T01:51:29Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Mushrooms, on the other hand. are pure EVIL INCARNATE and ruin any dish with their nasty rotting foulness and if you claim mushrooms are delicious you are wrong and evil and Satan’s spawn ;). Mushrooms absorb flavors and make a dish less spicy. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/68 "2016-06-15T12:13:21Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Mushrooms absorb flavors and make a dish less spicy. And yet they are unable to absorb their own awful flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/69 "2016-06-15T12:25:08Z")
Do cilantrophobes go into Indian restaurants and demand they leave out the curry? 🙂 In other morning wonderment: do cilantrophobes have the same reaction to [papalo](http://www.appalachianfeet.com/2010/05/07/how-to-grow-and-use-papalo-wrecipes/) (another herb sometimes promoted as a cilantro substitute)? I’ve grown my own and made salsa with it. A little goes a long way, as it is (to me) kind of rank and musky in comparison to cilantro. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2016, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/70 "2016-06-15T13:07:10Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Do cilantrophobes go into Indian restaurants and demand they leave out the curry? 🙂 I just don’t go to Indian restaurants (although my lentil and pea allergies probably have more to do with that than cilantro). > [@](#): > > In other morning wonderment: do cilantrophobes have the same reaction to [papalo](http://www.appalachianfeet.com/2010/05/07/how-to-grow-and-use-papalo-wrecipes/) (another herb sometimes promoted as a cilantro substitute)? I’ve grown my own and made salsa with it. A little goes a long way, as it is (to me) kind of rank and musky in comparison to cilantro. Dunno - never tried it. Interesting question though. If I get a chance to test it I’ll let you know the results. I also want to add that I am not a cilantro_phobe_. I don’t _fear_ cilantro, I’m _averse_ to it. Because to me it tastes like PineSol floor wash after being used to clean out a horse stable. If it tasted to you like it tastes to me you wouldn’t like it, either. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/71 "2016-06-15T13:07:10Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I can smell the funk with some peoples’ urine and not with other peoples’ urine. Unless my olfactory senses are cutting in and out randomly I don’t see any other explanation here. Understood, but there are some studies that claim it’s the smeller, not the pee-er. In the “we all produce it, you just can’t smell it” camp: > **[Asparagus Makes ALL Our Pee Smell, Whether You Can Smell It Or Not](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/asparagus-pee_n_5ab932e3e4b0decad04cc745)** > > In a cruel twist of evolution, some of us can smell it and some of us can't. [http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/why-pee-smells-funny-eat-asparagus](http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/why-pee-smells-funny-eat-asparagus) In the “it’s complicated” camp: > **[Why Asparagus Makes Your Urine Smell](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-asparagus-makes-your-urine-smell-49961252/)** > > Our bodies convert asparagusic acid into sulfur-containing chemicals that stink—but some of us are spared from the pungent odor > [@](#): > > On the whole, the evidence is mixed. Initially, a pair of studies conducted in the 1980s with participants from France and Israel found that everyone produced the characteristic scent, and that a minority of people were simply unable to smell it. People with the ability to detect the scent, though, were able to smell it even in the urine of those who couldn’t smell it, indicating that the differences were rooted in perception, not production. > > More recent studies, though, suggest the issue is a bit more complicated. The most recent study, from 2010, found that differences existed between individuals in both the production and detection of the scent. > > Overall, scientists now conclude that most of the difference is in perception—that is, if your urine doesn’t seem to smell any differently after you eat asparagus, it’s likely that you simply can’t perceive the sulfurous compounds’ foul odor, but there’s a small chance it’s because your body digests asparagus in a way that reduces the concentration of these chemicals in your urine. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/72 "2016-06-15T13:08:30Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Mushrooms absorb flavors and make a dish less spicy. Another argument against them!! 😃 Why have the spices in the food and then do something to reduce their taste! ---
**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:** [June 15, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/73 "2016-06-15T13:09:05Z")
In other words, people vary in both the amount of the funk produced and their ability to detect the amount produced. So some people can always detect the funk, and some never can, and some can only detect it when it’s above a certain concentration of funk. Am I understanding that correctly? ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/74 "2016-06-15T13:50:47Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > Hmm. Maybe I should cut my son some slack. As a kid I couldn’t stand raw tomatoes - but it was texture, not taste. The slime/gel around the seeds grossed me out. Wash it out of the cut tomato and I was fine with the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/75 "2016-06-15T14:02:13Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I just don’t go to Indian restaurants (although my lentil and pea allergies probably have more to do with that than cilantro). The point I was trying to make is that if one does not like a spice associated with a particular style of cooking, it is relatively easy to avoid that spice by foregoing the cooking style associated with it; ergo, if one doesn’t like curry, stay away from Indian cooking. If cilantro is disliked, avoid Mexican restaurants. Wonder why more people don’t bitch and moan about not being able to detect the bitter almonds scent of cyanide (there’s apparently a genetic component and substantial numbers of people can’t smell it). Either none of my autopsied patients were ever poisoned by cyanide or I couldn’t detect the aroma. I will never know. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/76 "2016-06-15T14:10:59Z")
Not completely on-topic, maybe, but I cannot tolerate the lime leaf often used in Thai curries. It must taste good to someone or it wouldn’t be used. Not only does it taste like gasoline (not imagined - I’ve had siphoning accidents :rolleyes: ) to me, but every part of my GI tract protests - nausea, indigestion, cramps, and the “green apple quickstep.” I like other Thai food, and Indian curries, and have no problem with them. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/77 "2016-06-15T14:12:11Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The point I was trying to make is that if one does not like a spice associated with a particular style of cooking, it is relatively easy to avoid that spice by foregoing the cooking style associated with it; ergo, if one doesn’t like curry, stay away from Indian cooking. If cilantro is disliked, avoid Mexican restaurants. Clinantro is also used in some Asian areas. Indian women sometimes use it as a perfume. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2016, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/78 "2016-06-15T14:21:22Z")
Oddly enough, I don’t mind the _smell_ of it. I could see using it as a body scent. I just have trouble imagining anyone _eating_ it. Although clearly people do eat it and enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/79 "2016-06-15T14:26:08Z")
Another one that hasn’t been mentioned is Stevia. I use it as the only non-caloric sweetener that DOESN’T taste nasty to me, but some people apparently get a bitter taste from it. To me, even if I get a “pure” taste from getting it in my mouth, it’s just !! **SWEET**!! :eek: with no other tastes. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/80 "2016-06-15T14:34:44Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Do cilantrophobes go into Indian restaurants and demand they leave out the curry? 🙂 Cilantro is used everywhere now, not just in Indian restaurants. My wife now warns every chef she is allergic to this trendy yet soapy-tasting leaf. One adventure with an Epi-pen and a woman who cannot breath is enough, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635/81 "2016-06-15T14:46:55Z")
I resist pineapples because the acid burns my tongue for hours. Others love them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-other-foods-have-the-cilantro-effect/756635.md?page=5)