# How is cilantro supposed to taste? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2016, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cilantro-supposed-to-taste/756642 "2016-06-06T05:09:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cilantro-supposed-to-taste/756642/21 "2016-06-07T01:12:48Z")
> [@sinjin](#): > > I love black licorice. Cilantro makes me not eat the food it is in. It doesn’t taste like soap, it tastes like yuck. YMMV > > I like fennel, does not in anyway taste like cilantro. Yeah, for me, the licorice-y herbs are chervil, tarragon, and fennel fronds. Some people also say dill is licorice/anise-y, but I don’t know if I quite get that flavor from it. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cilantro-supposed-to-taste/756642/22 "2016-06-07T01:54:52Z")
To me, it tastes bright green and fresh. But only if the herb itself is fresh - it does fade quickly. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cilantro-supposed-to-taste/756642/23 "2016-06-07T02:43:52Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > For me, it has absolutely no taste whatsoever, no matter how much I use. People expressed disbelief when I said the same thing a few years ago. I’m glad I don’t taste soap, but it doesn’t taste like anything discernible to me at all. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cilantro-supposed-to-taste/756642/24 "2016-06-07T10:51:36Z")
It’s like a taste that is similar to the smell of freshly cut grass, but smaller. It still overwhelms the nose, but there’s just a hint to it. And it has that slight tingling aspect that is in many herbs–most strongly in mint. ---
**Author:** ![quimper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7c8e57/32.png) [@quimper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quimper)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cilantro-supposed-to-taste/756642/25 "2016-06-07T20:55:43Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, for me, the licorice-y herbs are chervil, tarragon, and fennel fronds. Some people also say dill is licorice/anise-y, but I don’t know if I quite get that flavor from it. It may interest you to know that all these herbs you mentioned (save tarragon) are all part of the same family (Umbellifer/Apiacae) which include carrots, celery, cilantro, culanto, coriander, cumin, dill, caraway, anise, parsley, and parsnips. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cilantro-supposed-to-taste/756642/26 "2016-06-08T00:40:08Z")
> [@quimper](#): > > It may interest you to know that all these herbs you mentioned (save tarragon) are all part of the same family (Umbellifer/Apiacae) which include carrots, celery, cilantro, culanto, coriander, cumin, dill, caraway, anise, parsley, and parsnips. I actually assumed/thought all the ones I mentioned were part of the same family. Interesting to note that tarragon isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cilantro-supposed-to-taste/756642/27 "2016-06-08T05:21:08Z")
Imagine you are eating mexican food and one bite has a sprig of fresh cilantro. It makes it taste more like mexican food than anything could. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-cilantro-supposed-to-taste/756642.md?page=1)