Why Some People Dislike Cilantro, and Why Those Who Once Hated It Later Come to Love It

If there were a food whose reviews fell only into two extremes, with no middle ground, my first thought would definitely be cilantro! People who hate it loathe it with a passion, feeling sick to their stomach at the mere mention of it. And people who love it, when passing by a supermarket and catching a whiff of cilantro, have to stop and take a couple of deep sniffs. More satisfying than sniffing that stuff. emmmm, I'm one of those who don't like cilantro, haha. So why do some people hate cilantro so much?

First, let's look at the distribution of people who don't like cilantro

This is a statistical experiment conducted by LilliMauer and others on more than a thousand young people, which found that different ethnic groups dislike cilantro to different degrees: 21% of East Asian descent, 17% of Caucasian descent, 14% of African descent, 7% of South Asian descent, 4% of Hispanic descent, and 3% of Middle Eastern descent do not like cilantro.

1. What determines whether we like cilantro or not?

The most widespread claim is that your genes determine whether you like cilantro. Through investigation, scientists found that the OR6A2 olfactory receptor gene is related to this. This gene is located on chromosome 11 and is associated with receptors recognizing certain "aldehydes." This receptor gene has two variants, one of which more strongly highlights the soapy taste in cilantro. Among the more than 40 compounds in cilantro leaves, 82{bf} are aldehydes, accounting for 82% of cilantro. The smell of aldehydes is what we commonly call the soapy smell and the stink bug smell.

So people who inherit the variant gene will extremely detest cilantro. Just imagine what a spectacular expression you'd make if you had to eat a stink bug~

2. Why is cilantro called a half-a-lifetime food?

Some say cilantro is a half-a-lifetime vegetable: those who don't like it in the first half of their lives will come to like it in the second half, and vice versa. This isn't unfounded, after all, my mom is a living example. She used to be just like me, refusing to touch cilantro no matter what, but now when we have hot pot she throws in handful after handful, eating it happily with my dad.

Scientific research shows that repeated exposure to the smell of cilantro can help the brain build entirely new positive associations, gradually leading to acceptance of the smell. Research has also found that chewing can allow salivary enzymes to accelerate the breakdown of aldehydes, thereby easing cilantro's intense odor. The medical explanation is "adaptation," or "receptor adaptation." In literary terms: entering a shop selling salted fish, after a long time you no longer smell its stench; entering a room full of irises and orchids, after a long time you no longer notice their fragrance.

Alright, that's all for today's why-do-some-people-hate-cilantro. Food, after all, will always have people who like it and people who don't. Everyone's tastes are different; we just need to be tolerant and understanding of each other~ By the way, if next time someone says you're a picky eater for not liking cilantro, just throw this article in their face! I'll take the blame for you!