Posted on 04/09/2021 10:43:50 AM PDT by mylife
You probably take your tongue for granted, or at least, don’t fully grasp the complexities of how it deciphers the flavors it encounters and sends those delicious or distasteful signals to your brain.
This is all the more important because things don’t always taste the same to different people. In fact, when it comes to the herb cilantro, the fresh earthiness you taste might actually taste like Palmolive or a fragrant bar of bathroom soap to someone else. There is a lot to wade through when it comes to common myths about food, but the idea that to some people, cilantro tastes like soap is no outlandish rumor.
Why cilantro tastes like soap to some people Whether you taste a mouthful of antiseptic when you chomp into a bite of cilantro-rich salsa comes down to a roll of the genetic dice. Specifically, it come down to the aldehydes—organic compounds in which a carbon atom shares a bond with another atom or group of atoms, per Britannica— found in cilantro, which are often used in various perfumes and cleaning products, owing to their pronounced fragrances.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the aldehydes are best detected through the olfactory receptors, which allow you to smell things. The organization notes:
The difference may be small at the molecular level, but has large implications at the olfactory (smell) level. It’s suspected that a dislike for cilantro is largely driven by the smell (and smell is directly linked to how we taste.)
(Excerpt) Read more at lifehacker.com ...
can confirm that to me, cilantro has a soapy taste. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
My theory is that some people never experimented with curse words when they were six years old and never had a bar of Ivory soap raked across their teeth vigorously.
In short, they have no idea what soap tastes like....I do and cilantro is much better.
I like cilantro. It has never tasted like soap to me.
Yum Yum
I think it tastes like chicken.
tastes like soap to me
Smells like fish?
Ah, because it does.
Ok, that got a good chuckle. Thanks.
All Scotch taste like soap to me...
Lemony anus doesnt belong on food. Its disgusting and Im “that guy that eats everything.” Like adding peppers to everything that shouldnt have them, its just the mexicanization of our food (not that pepper eaters have any idea what theyre eating).
FWIW north of the border, cilantro is also known as Coriander. And it was in use in Greece and Egypt for almost 4000 years.
Thats not sparkle, those are the bubbles.
I can’t stand cilantro.
Lemony anus. I’m going to have to remember that one!
I love cilantro. But it does sort of taste like soap.
I love cilantro and here’s a recipe for salsa I’m sharing with everyone and we think it’s pretty good.
SALSA
1 14-OZ CAN READY CUT TOMATOES OR IF YOU PREFER, 6 ROMA TOMATOES, REMOVE SEEDS AND CHOP INTO SMALL PIECES
1 CAN DICED GREEN CHILIES
1 TSP WHITE VINEGAR - OR MORE..DEPENDING ON YOUR TASTE
1 TSP KOSHER SALT
2 CLOVES CRUSHED GARLIC
½ TBS FRESH CILANTRO - OR IF YOU LOVE CILANTRO ADD MORE...I USE 1/4 CUP FRESH
4 CHOPPED GREEN ONIONS
¼ TSP OR MORE RED PEPPER FLAKES
PUT ALL INGREDIENTS IN FOOD PROCESSOR AND CHOP A FEW SECONDS. REFRIGERATE. KEEPS FOR 5-7 DAYS.
USE THIS RECIPE AS A GUIDE AND ADD AS MUCH OR AS LITTLE OF THESE INGREDIENTS. DO A TASTE TEST AFTER A FEW HOURS AND SEE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD MORE HEAT SUCH AS WHITE VINEGAR OR RED PEPPER FLAKES.
I apologize for the caps.
maybe a little bitterness like soap. I love our own fresh picked with tomato, sweet onion and some pickled jalapeno juice I could eat a whole bowlful.
As if I would ever chomp into a bite of cilantro-rich salsa or any salsa of any kind. I'm one of those Southern "picky eaters" you've herd tell about. I'll never know if cilantro tastes like soap to me but rest assured, my mind tells me that it is much worse. I'll give you a hint, my first grade teacher made me sit alone in the cafeteria for hours after lunch to eat English peas. I never did eat them. Articles like this are Steven King stories for me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.