Questions: Food & Beverage

Cilantro, also known as coriander leaves, also known as Chinese/Mexican parsley, has a very distinctive taste to it. Some have described its taste as fresh, spicy, and citrus-y, even warm.

It is a very common herb used in Chinese, Mexican, Southeast Asian, Latin American, African, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Mediterranean cuisine. (I might have missed some).

However, some people find cilantro revolting, including the famous chef, Julia Child.
There are people to whom cilantro tastes like soap; these people are usually the cilantro haters.

The issue is genetic. These people have a variation in a group of olfactory-receptor genes that allows them to strongly perceive/taste the soapy-flavored aldehydes in cilantro/coriander leaves. This genetic quirk is usually only found in a small percent of the population, though it varies geographically.

Do you like cilantro or does it taste like soap to you?