Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Cilantro: Love it or Hate it?

Though everyone in our family generally likes Mexican food, there is one food that causes passionate debate: Cilantro. I love the stuff. It takes so fresh and good and honestly, I can't get enough of it. But my father? He hates it. If there's one cilantro leaf in a recipe, he can taste it and nothing else.

Apparently my dad is not alone. And, since this is always the case, there's even a facebook page and website devoted to the hatred of cilantro. Poor misunderstood herb!

A couple of weeks ago, the New York Times ran an entire story about cilantro and why it is that certain people can't stand the stuff. I'm not posting the article on my site (since I don't have the proper permission), but if you have a couple of minutes, click here and read the story. It's interesting and insightful, and you'll learn what cilantro has in common with bedbugs.

I think my dad (and all other cilantro haters) are off base. I love it, but to each his own. I personally loathe tarragon and can't eat it to be polite. We all have different preferences, but in the case of cilantro, it seems that we're genetically predisposed to love it or hate it. Where do you fall on the cilantro spectrum?

2 comments:

phairhead said...

Definite cilantro lover! We're going to planting some soon.
My mother, however, thinks it tastes like lawn trimmings. She's an insaniac

Greta said...

I am neutral to it. I would not shy away from a dish that has it, but I would not go out of my way to add it to a dish. I don't get the soapy flavor - thank you Mom!