I think what you grow up as far as flavor profile has something to do with it. I'm Italian, never grew up eating cilantro, but more Mediterrainean herbs, so cilantro is a bit strong for me. I'll eat it, but it's not an herb I would want to eat every day. But I can't eat mint either.

My mom loves it. Everyone else in my family hates it!

I've always wondered if it had to do with "tasters" and "super tasters".. you know.. that science experiment where everyone puts a little strip on their tongue and some people think it doesn't taste like anything and others think it's super bitter? So I think "tasters"/"super tasters" dislike cilantro..

Could it just be that certain cultural groups feed their children cilantro at an earlier age in their dishes and that it's an acquired taste that started early?

I love cilantro... I know 2 people in my relatives who hate it... But funnily my mom in law thinks parsley tastes metallic. Go figure!

I am from Puerto Rico and mostly we all love cilantro since our food is all made with it. We make a vegetable mix called 'sofrito' that its basically a mix of cilantro, onions, green peppers, and a few other ingredients into the mixer and then with a tablespoon or 2 of that mix we cook yellow rice, the soups, beans and some meats also.

My mom *hates* cilantro, even in small quantities. I, on the other hand, could add it to just about everything I make. It might be a super taster thing, though usually those folks also have a strong aversion to celery, and my mom loves celery. If it's behind both, it's clearly not related among foods that trigger it.

I don't think it necessarily has to do with what cultural group you grow up in and what you ate as a child. I never really had cilantro very often until I was older, and now I can't get enough of it. I love it!

I have always loved cilantro, and I'm pretty sure my parents do too (my father is Middle Eastern, and my mother has always cooked a lot in that style). However, in the last few years I was surprised to learn that all 3 of my younger siblings--who are all vegetarians (I'm not) and love ethnic foods like Indian, Vietnamese, etc.--HATE cilantro. Like with a passion. I was baffled! Then one of them mentioned to me that the smell/taste of cilantro reminds them of stinkbugs (insects that have become a big pest in certain parts of PA). I had never noticed that before, but last time I saw a stinkbug at my parents house I suddenly did. And now my fondness for cilantro has waned considerably... : ( The power of suggestion...

My brother and mom love cilantro, where my dad thinks it tastes like chalk and I don't really taste anything. My brother loves to remind us of our "tragic" genetic trait, since he's convinced it's the best flavor in the world, but I can eat asparagus with wild abandon where he can't stand the smell the next day. So it evens out.

I already knew it was genetic, something like 6% of the people hate it.
I hate it, it tastes like soap, to say the least! Horrible.

def have the stinkbug smell thing in my head too! Ever since we got them in our area cilantro is less appealing!

I only know one person who has made it clear he hates cilantro. He said it tastes like soap. I hear that is pretty common among the non cilantro lovers. I'm pretty sure I know more people who don't like it but they have never been that direct about it. I can't imagine salsa & guacamole without it. Taste buds are a funny thing. I don't understand someone not liking strawberries either but it happens!

I'm trying to eat it to acquire a taste. I have heard that it's possible to go from hating to loving if you expose yourself to it. Right now though, it still tastes like soap to me.

I don't think I ever tasted cilantro until I was... at least in high school, if not later. But I loved it from the start anyway!

I don't know that it has anything to do with childhood. I was raised on very bland polish/german foods. As an adult, I eat a lot of variety and love the strong flavors of other "ethnic" foods, but I still HATE cilantro. Tastes like dish soap.

I really want to love it! I don't mind it in fresh salsa or with some sundried tomatoes and garlic baked on top of a salmon.. but I could certainly live without it.

So soapy!

I've been lurking for a few weeks, but this post inspired me to create an account so I could comment.

Cilantro is vile. I'm among the "tastes like soap" crowd, and it's difficult to describe just how terrible the experience is. I'd heard that there was a genetic component to cilantro aversion, with many of those who dislike it using the same soap description, so this study doesn't surprise me.

there was an excellent article in the 2nd issue of lucky peach that discusses cilantro and other super taster food dislikes. to summarize, the writer theorized that a lot of the aromatic and volatile compounds that trigger our taste buds and sense of smells are often found in a variety of things.

How this comes into play with cilatro? Well, certain ethnic cuisines (asian, south american, others) use lots of cilantro - so you grow up tasting/smelling it a ton - all in the context of food. Other ethnic cuisines do not use any cilantro (a lot of western cuisines don't), so people grow up without associating that taste/smell with cosmetics/soaps.

I wish I could the article...

Wow - since i grew up eating cilantro in India - never really thought it has a strong taste/smell....but i guess it does - though it is still difficult for me to understand somebody not liking it so strongly - so i guess it does boil down to what you grew up seeing, smelling and eating!!

Oh here is the article - http://gizmodo.com/5866754/the-science-of-taste-or-why-dry+aged-meat-is-so-damned-delicious

anyways - it's pretty interesting that this article found that east asians hated the taste... i guess 21% is pretty close to 1 / 5, which would be just about how my family breaks down on the cilantro train.

I hated hated hated cilantro. It tasted like soap and I could sniff it out in any dish! But after my younger daughter was born, I suddenly liked, no, loved it! I put it in almost every summer dish I make. Neither of my children have complained of the soapy taste (though one occasionally hates all herbs so on those picky nights I let her leave aside the cilantro and parsley in salad). I've always wondered why my taste for it changed (also started to like Doritos in my first pregnancy, whereas before they had made me queasy)

I used to completely hate cilantro (hate celery too) and experienced the common soapy taste...over time I have come to "like" it in small doses such as in a fresh tomato salsa. However, if I bite into a piece of cilantro I immediately get the ice cream freeze sensation and then have a medium to severe headache. I've suspected it was genetic ever since finding out one of my aunts also gets headaches from cilantro.

I'm definitely among those who dislike cilantro. I love the recipes that usually call for cilantro, though, so I don't think it's simply a matter of not being exposed to that kind of cooking. Usually when we make those recipes, we just skip the cilantro, but has anyone come across a substitute herb that works well?

I love cilantro and I can't get enough - I'm always adding a handful to salsa, soup, or chicken salads.

For those of you that dislike it, here's an interesting article from the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html

I am a super taster and I hate cilantro. Not only do I not like the taste, but so much as a sniff in the produce aisle will cause me to retch. Eating it causes violent expulsion within 20 minutes. I figured this out when I would be sick after eating good Asian food made by a boyfriend and good Mexican food from higher priced restaurants, back before cilantro was everywhere. Cilantro was the missing link between the two cuisines.

My worst experiences come when someone thinks they know better about my intolerance than I do, and they slip it into food as parsley because they think that the only people who could possibly hate cilantro are those who haven't tried it. Um, no.

As to the genetic link? My sister has the same problem. My brothers do not.

My family is Caucasian, and we never ate cilantro growing up. We lived in a very rural town with a very 'classic American' diet. (ie, pork chops and casseroles. Pizza was as exotic as it got.) Once I was introduced to it in college, when I had the opportunity to try many different types of foods, I loved it. It's a staple in my kitchen and in my garden. I've now fixed meals with it for my family, who seem to be neutrally opinionated on it, so I don't think it's just a matter of eating it growing up. It's a fantastic herb and adds so much freshness and character.

@Mstiggy you could use mint as a substitute. Or parsley if you prefer it to fall into the background more.

one of my best friends wont eat cilantro- if I make guac and put some in (cause who doesn't), she'll ask and wont eat it if there's any cilantro in it at all. She's always said that it tastes like soap and that it got handed down from her father who's the same way about it.

I hate it, my mom hates it, my aunt hates it (those are the only ones i know about). Too bad for my husband who LOVES it, but as I do most of the cooking he's out of luck

I'm a white Midwesterner who grew up with garlic salt, Prego sauce, potatoes, etc... but I am a big time cilantro lover. The stuff never touched my palate until I moved out of my parents' house.

And I don't think scientists will ever "pin-point the gene", because tastes are likely caused by a lot of different factors. Interesting, though.

I find it so odd that so many East Asians dislike cilantro when it is such a common inrgedient in their dishes. I wonder how many Latin Americans have this aversion, since it's very popular ingredient in their cuisine as well.

i mean, some people might enjoy eating soap, but i sure don't, and neither does my mother. gross gross gross.

Yes, my grandmother thought it tasted like soap and both she and my husband can taste a leaf, one part to a million. But my husband hates all green herbs, including mint and basil, which makes me Sad. I make two versions of a lot of things; fortunately they're an element you usually add last.

I don't doubt a genetic component, but I also am surprised by the East Asian statistic, since it's one of my favorite things about Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.

I believe the asparagus smell issue is genetic. I think I read that only some percentage of the population creates the asparagusic acid when they eat it, and only some can smell it! I am definitely 'reminded' that I've had asparagus that day, but it doesn't really bother me, while my husband is positively revolted by the smell.

I understand there's a genetic component to liking broccoli. Some notice a very strong, perhaps bitter taste, and some do not. I don't know whether its a "supertaster" thing, or maybe "supertaster" is not just one thing, because I understood that "supertasters" generally don't like strong alcoholic drinks, esp. the brown ones, which I definitely do not, but I quite like cooked broccoli.

I think it's an acquired taste. I hated cilantro growing up. I remember the first time I had a piece and the sharp peppery flavor made me gag. Now years later I love cilantro.

Same here, I grew up hating it but now I love it!

@Bludab - I LOATHED cilantro for years - I remember just about crying when my sister ordered a chicken pizza with cilantro on it, when we were starving backpackers; I couldn't eat any of it for fear of getting that vile stink-bug taste in my mouth.

Then suddenly, at the ripe old age of about 30, I started loving it. I now eat massive piles of it on top of my homemade red-lentil dahl with yoghurt and toasted almonds - yum!

My mother, however, can't stand a speck of the stuff.

Weird.

i dont think its genetic. i think its an acquired taste. i used to hate it, i used to think it tasted soapy. in fact, now when i eat it, i can taste that soapiness, BUT i LOVE cilantro. cant get enough. i just got used to it and became a lover.

I thought this was a widely known study that was done decades ago? I was told about it when I was a kid. Weird.

I never got when people said it tastes "soapy" but it definitely tastes wrong to me. I'd say more like what people think of when they say something tastes like earwax. Grassy earwx. Yuck! Bitter as all hell and coats my tongue and won't go away.
I don't think its genetic though. Never have. I've watched generational gaps of my family scarf down cilantro covered things and I'm the only one who can't do it.

@ABANANA: It's possible they meant more like Koreans and Japanese by East Asian than Thai/Vietnamese. Even the Chinese use a lot of cilantro in their cooking, the reason it is also known as Chinese parsley. Among all the people I know, it is the Koreans who don't like cilantro, at all. They also hate celery and say that the two taste similar to them. I, on the other hand, am a celery hater but can't live without cilantro. Wonder why.

@JMORRI26: I think you are mixing genetic with hereditary. A genetic condition need not necessarily be hereditary.

I don't think this is news. I heard YEARS ago that there was a genetic reasons for some subset of the population to only taste the soapy elements in cilantro leaves.

What I always wonder if the genetic aversion also causes coriander to taste nasty?

(I adore both, so I'm no help...)

Cilantro is Pretty much the worst flavor ever! It's just awful! I love exotic and unusual foods and tastes...however this is not one of them. I never grew up eating it. My family discovered it all at the same time (probably when I was in high school). Interestingly, my Mother and I distain it, while my father and sister like it. My mother and I share a lot of similar genetic traits (perhaps this has something to do with it); she is of Mediterranean descent and we both look as though we are (dark hair, eyes, complexion, etc). My father, on the other hand is of Northern European descent (light skin, blue eyes) and he and my Sis share a lot of traits in common. I wouldn't say it tastes like soap, but it's a terrible, indescribable taste...maybe "soap" is the best descriptive. I have discovered that if I hold my nose while eating it it doesn't taste like anything at all! However, the second I let go of my nose the terrible taste is back again.

I am of 100% Italian descent and love green, leafy EVERYTHING--except for cilantro (and broccoli rabe--but that's another story). To me, cilantro, and, to a lesser extent, flat-leaf parsley, has a noticeable undertaste of rotten garbage.

Unless you are like me, who finds cilantro has no taste (I don't hate it, it just adds nothing for me), while parsley has a strong flavor that would certainly NOT fall into the background, esp. compared to cilantro.