# I wonder if there's an allergy for arugula like there is for cilantro **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 16, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wonder-if-theres-an-allergy-for-arugula-like-there-is-for-cilantro/543463 "2010-06-16T20:41:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wonder-if-theres-an-allergy-for-arugula-like-there-is-for-cilantro/543463/1 "2010-06-16T20:41:15Z")
I definitely love everything about cilantro, but I HATE arugula. It was described to me as “peppery and spicy” before I ever tried it. Sounds great! No. It has this weird, benzene-y, awful chemical flavor. It’s not “surprising and fresh”. It’s not “kicky and flavorful”. It’s like a mouthful of lighter fluid. And it’s not like I’m basing this on a single experience, either. I’ve tried arugula many times, sometimes without even knowing it. “This salad tastes like kerosene and horseradish. Must be arugula”. I wonder what’s up. My wife loves the stuff. I can’t imagine why. There’s something about this I’m missing. Anyone know if there’s an “arugula allergy”? ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wonder-if-theres-an-allergy-for-arugula-like-there-is-for-cilantro/543463/2 "2010-06-16T21:23:24Z")
OK, if eating something makes your mouth itch and your throat swell up, you may have an allergy. If you don’t like the taste, even if you think it tastes like soap, it doesn’t mean you’re allergic. I don’t like the taste of arugula either, but I don’t think it’s a medical condition. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wonder-if-theres-an-allergy-for-arugula-like-there-is-for-cilantro/543463/3 "2010-06-16T21:42:03Z")
Not an allergy but a genetic ability to taste [or not taste] certain chemicals. Hate cilantro, am ok with arugala. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wonder-if-theres-an-allergy-for-arugula-like-there-is-for-cilantro/543463/4 "2010-06-16T22:19:47Z")
I’ll just throw in that I like cilantro and really dislike the taste aRRRRRRRugula as well. And its one of the few vegtable that I really dislike the taste of for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wonder-if-theres-an-allergy-for-arugula-like-there-is-for-cilantro/543463/5 "2010-06-16T22:24:30Z")
Definitely not an allergy. But I’m in the same boat. I’ve never been able to describe the taste of arugula adequately: it’s somewhere between rubber cement and roadkill. A single leaf of it used to ruin a salad for me, and it’d take several minutes for me to purge the horrifying flavor from my mouth. Over time I’ve gotten more accustomed to it, though, so now it’s just really unpleasant, but I can eat a salad with arugula in it if etiquette requires. This article in the NYT, [Why Cilantro Tastes Like Soap](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html), is really interesting. Turns out a dislike of cilantro probably has both genetic and cultural components, and this article breaks down what those components probably are. I suspect something very similar is going on with arugula. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wonder-if-theres-an-allergy-for-arugula-like-there-is-for-cilantro/543463/6 "2010-06-16T23:41:36Z")
Yeah, sorry. Misspoke there. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wonder-if-theres-an-allergy-for-arugula-like-there-is-for-cilantro/543463/7 "2010-06-17T17:53:18Z")
Oh, wait, you guys are talking about rocket? I always thought arugula was Merkin for some kind of beet. Sorry, can’t sympathise, love the stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wonder-if-theres-an-allergy-for-arugula-like-there-is-for-cilantro/543463/8 "2010-06-18T12:09:44Z")
mmmm love arugula… mmmm love cilantro…