# Cilantro-Love It or Hate It, There's a Reason



## Andy M. (Sep 14, 2012)

Just read this article that gives some insight into the love it or hate it camps for cilantro.  As a hater, I'm in good company.  Julia hated it too.

Soapy taste of coriander linked to genetic variants : Nature News & Comment


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Sep 14, 2012)

I have a problem with one of the first statements in the article, which leads me to believe the author knows not of what he speaks: The herb is not called cilantro in North America and coriander in Britian. Cilantro is the leaves and stems of the plant, while coriander is the seeds, and they have two totally different smells and flavours.


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## Steve Kroll (Sep 14, 2012)

I'm in the "love it" camp myself. You could put a cilantro salad dressed with cilantro vinaigrette in front of me and I would devour it.


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## Steve Kroll (Sep 14, 2012)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> I beg to differ with one thing in that article which makes me doubt the author knows not of what he speaks: The herb is not called cilantro in North America and coriander in Britian. Cilantro is the leaves and stems of the plant, while coriander is the seeds, and they have two totally different smells and flavours.


I guarantee you that in Britain, as well as Australia, both the leaves and seeds are called coriander. In recipes you generally see it differentiated as "fresh coriander" vs "coriander seed".

Here are two recipes from Nigella Lawson. Note that one calls for coriander seed, while the other calls for fresh coriander:

BBC - Food - Recipes : Pantry paella

Nigella Lawson's Aromatic Christmas Ham: Recipe For Show-Stopping Festive Ham from Nigella Christmas Cookbook | Suite101.com


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## vitauta (Sep 14, 2012)

love it--would even wear it as a fragrance....


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## Alix (Sep 14, 2012)

SLOB, reporters are just that, REPORTERS. They don't need to know everything about the subject in order to write an article about it. My husband is a reporter, and he's a pretty amazing guy, but to expect him to be expert on everything he covers is a pretty huge deal. Now if this guy were being published in some herb bible and was touted as an expert in the field...different story. 

The point of the article is not whether cilantro or coriander is the correct term, its about the genetic link to disliking or liking it. I don't see an indifferent camp here at all. I don't really care one way or another about it. I generally find that people who DO like it use WAY too much of it. I could do a bit of it, but find it quite overpowering. Ooooo wait, maybe that makes me a hater?


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## justplainbill (Sep 14, 2012)

Hate the leaves but love the seeds.


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## tinlizzie (Sep 14, 2012)

Interesting article.  I printed it out to take to the lady who runs the local hydroponic organic farm.  Last week she was offering plain samples of a Japanese leafy green called Shingiku for tasting.  I couldn't identify the flavor; then she suggested, "celery?"  That was it.  But I was embarrassed to admit that it also had a slightly soapy taste.  I haven't experienced cilantro tasting soapy and didn't really know what people were talking about, but I know now.  Can't say I actually _like_ cilantro, but don't actively dislike it, either.  It's enlightening to know that the soapiness may be in me rather than the plant.

I bought a small baggie* of the shingiku and used it in a stir-fry; it wasn't soapy (to me) at all after cooking or perhaps it was a matter of being in combination with other greens.

*I'm doing my darnedest to support her and buy whatever my budget allows.  She has a lot of okra right now, but I draw the line at okra.


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## Andy M. (Sep 14, 2012)

Steve Kroll said:


> I guarantee you that in Britain, as well as Australia, both the leaves and seeds are called coriander. In recipes you generally see it differentiated as "fresh coriander" vs "coriander seed".
> 
> Here are two recipes from Nigella Lawson. Note that one calls for coriander seed, while the other calls for fresh coriander:
> 
> ...




+1


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## Gravy Queen (Sep 14, 2012)

Spot on Steve , fresh coriander  and coriander seeds here in the UK. Love both .


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## mollyanne (Sep 14, 2012)

vitauta said:


> love it--would even wear it as a fragrance....


 This reminds me of something I read about women in the Renaissance era who rubbed basil on their bosom for an aphrodisiac...so I tried it lol...let me just say that green bosoms are not attractive 

Back to cilantro...I used to hate it and now it's growing on me (no, not on my bosom lol). I really like it in guacamole and fish tacos but not really anything else.


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## Andy M. (Sep 14, 2012)

While I don't care for it raw (soapy taste), it's OK in a cooked dish.


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## taxlady (Sep 14, 2012)

justplainbill said:


> Hate the leaves but love the seeds.


+1

I wonder if I would like the roots. I hear that those can be used in cooking too.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 14, 2012)

mollyanne said:


> This reminds me of something I read about women in the Renaissance era who rubbed basil on their bosom for an aphrodisiac...so I tried it lol...*let me just say that green bosoms are not attractive*
> 
> Back to cilantro...I used to hate it and now it's growing on me (no, not on my bosom lol). I really like it in guacamole and fish tacos but not really anything else.



Tell that to Captain Kirk...

I love cilantro, Shrek hates it.


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## Hoot (Sep 14, 2012)

I am not sure about the genetic thing. I love cilantro. On the other hand, my mother absolutely hated it even though she said she really wished she could like it for the health benefits it is supposed to have. As far as I know, my dad never tried any. He died in '95. My uncle, (my mother's brother) loves it.
I suppose there could be a genetic disposition to disliking or liking something but taste is so subjective anyway, I have a hard time getting my old head around such an explanation. Some folks just don't like some things that other folks do. I never needed any other explanation than that.


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## jabbur (Sep 14, 2012)

I am firmly in the "hater" group.  Our local Mexican place sprinkles it on their salsa.  I can't stand it.  I ask them to leave it off.  I definitely experience the soapy taste and it will take a while to rid my mouth of it.


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## Andy M. (Sep 14, 2012)

Hoot said:


> I am not sure about the genetic thing. I love cilantro. On the other hand, my mother absolutely hated it even though she said she really wished she could like it for the health benefits it is supposed to have. As far as I know, my dad never tried any. He died in '95. My uncle, (my mother's brother) loves it.
> I suppose there could be a genetic disposition to disliking or liking something but taste is so subjective anyway, I have a hard time getting my old head around such an explanation. Some folks just 't like some things that other folks do. I never needed any other explanation than that.




Hoot, I think it goes beyond personal preferences.  Some folks dislike it because it has a distinct soapy taste.  Those who like it don't detect the soapy taste.  I'd bet they wouldn't like it if it tasted soapy to them.

This article makes sense to me as it explains that soapy/not soapy difference.  This isn't the first time this theory has been discussed.


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## mollyanne (Sep 14, 2012)

Andy M. said:


> Those who like it don't detect the soapy taste....


I suppose that's possible...kind of like how birds can eat copious amounts of cayenne pepper all over their birdseed but the squirrels won't touch it and have a fit if they try.


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## Kayelle (Sep 14, 2012)

mollyanne said:


> This reminds me of something I read about women in the Renaissance era who rubbed basil on their bosom for an aphrodisiac...so I tried it lol...let me just say that green bosoms are not attractive
> 
> Back to cilantro...I used to hate it and now it's growing on me (no, not on my bosom lol). I really like it in guacamole and fish tacos but not really anything else.



Geeze, I'm so glad you're back MA........it's been too long since I've snorted my ice tea.........

I've lived with Mexican food all my life and my parents cooked Mexican food but I know they never used cilantro, nor did they carry it in our grocery store.  Growing up, I wondered why I liked restaurant Mexican food so much more than what we made at home and later I discovered that cilantro was the missing ingredient.  I *love* the stuff, but my parents must have hated it.


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## Barbara L (Sep 14, 2012)

I used to hate cilantro, now I love it.

As far as tasting like soap, raspberries are like that for me. I like things like raspberry jam (except for the seeds), but as a rule, I don't like them. Raspberry candies are especially horrible. You might as well just eat a bar of soap.


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## bakechef (Sep 14, 2012)

I'm in the soapy camp.  I don't think that it is a "taste is subjective" thing at all, it tastes like soap to me, but my best friend loves it and cannot taste any soapy flavor.

Many in my family cannot eat it either.  

I'll be glad when this herb is no longer trendy, it ticks me off when I order a dish and it is sprinkled on, when it wasn't listed in the description, for me it makes everything that it touches taste soapy.

I am building up a tolerance to it, I still don't like it, but it no longer completely ruins a meal for me, I can deal with a small amount in a salsa, but I still wish that it wasn't there.

There is a website called ihatecilantro.com and it has a facebook page,


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## taxlady (Sep 14, 2012)

Barbara L said:


> I used to hate cilantro, now I love it.
> 
> As far as tasting like soap, raspberries are like that for me. I like things like raspberry jam (except for the seeds), but as a rule, I don't like them. Raspberry candies are especially horrible. You might as well just eat a bar of soap.


I think the aldehydes dissipate when the cilantro is cooked. That would explain why I never dislike it in real Mexican food or in Indian food, unless they sprinkle the raw stuff on top.


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## Andy M. (Sep 14, 2012)

Barbara L said:


> I used to hate cilantro, now I love it.
> 
> As far as tasting like soap, raspberries are like that for me. I like things like raspberry jam (except for the seeds), but as a rule, I don't like them. Raspberry candies are especially horrible. You might as well just eat a bar of soap.



Barb, I've never heard of this with raspberries.  Live and learn.


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## justplainbill (Sep 14, 2012)

Borage tastes more fishy than cilantro tastes soapy.


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## CWS4322 (Sep 14, 2012)

I love fresh cilantro--dried cilantro has "no taste" IMO. I hate bananas. I was told that my aversion to bananas is linked to a gene. I believe it. I can smell bananas from about 15 ft away. Hate the smell of bananas--fresh bananas do not cross my lips. But I love cilantro, tarragon, anise, and fennel. 

My brother and I made a road trip a few years ago. As soon as he put his "food pack" in the van, I said to him, "dump the bananas. They are not riding in this vehicle with me." He gave me this all askew look. "What, you can smell those? They are in my cooler." 
"Dump the bananas or walk. I'll pick up in the next town. Oh, and clean the cooler."


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## no mayonnaise (Sep 14, 2012)

There's also a positive genetic correlation between those who like/dislike Brussels Sprouts and Guinness beer.  I'm not sure of the specifics, but it was discussed last semester in my Genetics class along with the cilantro bit.


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## CWS4322 (Sep 15, 2012)

no mayonnaise said:


> There's also a positive genetic correlation between those who like/dislike Brussels Sprouts and Guinness beer.  I'm not sure of the specifics, but it was discussed last semester in my Genetics class along with the cilantro bit.


Bananas must have factored into that--I have several friends who are also "banana aversive."


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## Gravy Queen (Sep 15, 2012)

no mayonnaise said:


> There's also a positive genetic correlation between those who like/dislike Brussels Sprouts and Guinness beer.  I'm not sure of the specifics, but it was discussed last semester in my Genetics class along with the cilantro bit.



I love sprouts and hate guiness . How anyone could drink a pint of the stuff is beyond me .


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## CWS4322 (Sep 15, 2012)

When I say I have an aversion to bananas--my stomach literally curls when I smell bananas. It isn't that I don't like the taste of bananas, I can't stand anything about them--the smell, the taste, the texture, the feel of them. I don't think that is the same thing re: cilantro love it or hate it.


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## bakechef (Sep 15, 2012)

CWS4322 said:


> When I say I have an aversion to bananas--my stomach literally curls when I smell bananas. It isn't that I don't like the taste of bananas, I can't stand anything about them--the smell, the taste, the texture, the feel of them. I don't think that is the same thing re: cilantro love it or hate it.



I had a co-worker that had a banana phobia, never heard of such a  thing.  It wasn't like you where she couldn't stand the smell and taste,  it just gave her anxiety to be near one.

As I typed this I looked up "fear of bananas" and apparently it's a real thing.


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## CraigC (Sep 15, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Tell that to Captain Kirk...
> 
> I love cilantro, Shrek hates it.


 
Don't forget Capt. Archer. Especially when one of them was Padma Lakshmi!


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## no mayonnaise (Sep 15, 2012)

Gravy Queen said:


> I love sprouts and hate guiness . How anyone could drink a pint of the stuff is beyond me .



I was recalling the conclusion without the explanation from last semester so I did some more reading and it all became clear again.  There's a gene called TAS2R38 located on Chromosome 7 that detects bitterness in foods.  There's a bitter-tasting compound called PTC that some people just can't taste, and others can due to a deficiency of TAS2R38.  It's in beer, wine, olives, brassica, and members of the cabbage family (brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, etc.) to name a few.  *shrug* maybe you dislike Guinness for other reasons besides PTC aversion.


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## taxlady (Sep 15, 2012)

CraigC said:


> Don't forget Capt. Archer. Especially when one of them was Padma Lakshmi!


Did she play someone green? Wasn't it Trip who had the hots for her?


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## Merlot (Sep 15, 2012)

I really dislike cilantro but I don't think I have ever noticed a soapy flavor.  I can tolerate a very small amount in salsa if I am out at a restaurant but I would prefer it to be completely gone!   

Since they were brought up...I am not too fond of bananas either but I think it is more of a texture thing (a degree of ripeness that I hate them or can tolerate them)   I hate Guiness beer (that is the dark thick one, right?) blech


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## taxlady (Sep 15, 2012)

Gravy Queen said:


> I love sprouts and hate guiness . How anyone could drink a pint of the stuff is beyond me .


Well so much for the theory that the stuff tastes good in the UK, but not on this side of the pond, because it doesn't travel well.

Can't stand the stuff. Oh, and I do like Brussels sprouts


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## Claire (Sep 15, 2012)

I don't think taste is genetic at all, a case of nurture vs nature.  Some people who were raised to dislike some flavors will always hate them, on the other hand others will love them.  Some who were raised to eat only 5 things their entire lives won't venture out there, others will.  

Then there is my bizarre-o experience of my sense of smell going haywire in late menopause.  It mostly came back, but suddenly I couldn't (and still can't) like cucumber and watermelon.  They smell (and taste) exactly alike to me, and I just don't like them.  These are foods I've loved all my life and lived for in the summer, and now I don't like them, not even the smell (if you'd asked me five years ago, I would have told you they don't have much of a smell or flavor).  It actually angers me that I do not like these foods I loved and found so refreshing in the summer.  Boo-hoo.  I keep trying, but there's something there.  Do they have a common chemical compound?

As for cilantro; I, too, learned to call the leaves and stems (and some cultures use the roots as well) cilantro, the seeds coriander (i.e., the herb is cilantro, the spice coriander), but, that said, I read a lot and the English books I've read (and cookbooks) refer to it all as coriander.

I'm in the camp who really, really disliked cilantro.  In spite of eating a lot of Mexican food growing up, I don't remember having it as a kid.  Where I remember is moving to Hawaii when I was in my late 20s and finding it in all the Asian foods and really not liking it at all.  I wouldn't call it soapy.  

BUT .... I not only got used to it, now certain things, like a fresh tomato salsa (pico de gallo type stuff), and especially Southeast Asian fresh dishes just don't taste right without that cilantro edge.


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## Steve Kroll (Sep 15, 2012)

Watermelons and cucumbers are in the same family (cucurbitaceae), so it's entirely possible they have chemical compounds in common.


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## justplainbill (Sep 15, 2012)

Claire said:


> I don't think taste is genetic at all, a case of nurture vs nature.  Some people who were raised to dislike some flavors will always hate them, on the other hand others will love them.  Some who were raised to eat only 5 things their entire lives won't venture out there, others will.
> 
> Then there is my bizarre-o experience of my sense of smell going haywire in late menopause.  It mostly came back, but suddenly I couldn't (and still can't) like cucumber and watermelon.  They smell (and taste) exactly alike to me, and I just don't like them.  These are foods I've loved all my life and lived for in the summer, and now I don't like them, not even the smell (if you'd asked me five years ago, I would have told you they don't have much of a smell or flavor).  It actually angers me that I do not like these foods I loved and found so refreshing in the summer.  Boo-hoo.  I keep trying, but there's something there.  Do they have a common chemical compound?
> 
> ...


Tastes change as we age.  For some of us, we know we're really getting old when a well marbled charcoal broiled piece of beef does not taste good anymore.  I'm a heavy smoker, but still can detect the flavor of coriander in some pastramis and the ingredients in many other foods.  My most recent achievement was to determine that cinnamon is one of the ingredients in the mustard that I like .


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## taxlady (Sep 15, 2012)

Claire said:


> I don't think taste is genetic at all, a case of nurture vs nature.  Some people who were raised to dislike some flavors will always hate them, on the other hand others will love them.  Some who were raised to eat only 5 things their entire lives won't venture out there, others will. ...


I agree that to some extent it's nurture. But, having the receptors for the unpleasant flavours in cilantro is not nurture. You have them or you don't. There is a gene that relates to those receptors.


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## Dawgluver (Sep 15, 2012)

taxlady said:
			
		

> I agree that to some extent it's nurture. But, having the receptors for the unpleasant flavours in cilantro is not nurture. You have them or you don't. There is a gene that relates to those receptors.



Exactly.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 15, 2012)

Claire said:


> I don't think taste is genetic at all, *a case of nurture vs nature*.  Some people who were raised to dislike some flavors will always hate them, on the other hand others will love them.  Some who were raised to eat only 5 things their entire lives won't venture out there, others will.



Have to politely disagree on this point.  I was raised by vegetable eating parents, my sisters and brother all like the same veggies as my parents.  I do not like the same veggies.  Especially how some were overcooked, i.e. Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage.  At this point I can tolerate Broccoli and Cabbage...raw or very lightly steamed.

I am mostly meat and starchy veg/pasta/rice oriented and I was not raised that way.  And, I am the one that weighs the least...


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## justplainbill (Sep 15, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Have to politely disagree on this point.  I was raised by vegetable eating parents, my sisters and brother all like the same veggies as my parents.  I do not like the same veggies.  Especially how some were overcooked, i.e. Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage.  At this point I can tolerate Broccoli and Cabbage...raw or very lightly steamed.
> 
> I am mostly meat and starchy veg/pasta/rice oriented and I was not raised that way.  And, I am the one that weighs the least...


You must'a spent some time in Skaneateles.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 15, 2012)

justplainbill said:


> You must'a spent some time in Skaneateles.



whut?


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## justplainbill (Sep 15, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> whut?


It's a town in NY pronounced skinny atlas.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 15, 2012)

justplainbill said:


> It's a town in NY pronounced skinny atlas.



LOL!  I don't think I was ever there...


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## justplainbill (Sep 15, 2012)

You may be skinnier than me, but I'm 6"1' and weigh close to 300 lb ( my scale does not go over 300 lb).  I've been thinking of spending some time in Skineatales


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 15, 2012)

justplainbill said:


> You may be skinnier than me, but I'm 6"1' and weigh close to 300 lb ( my scale does not go over 300 lb).  I've been thinking of spending some time in Skineatales



That's why I said I weigh the least, I am decidedly overweight, but not as overweight as my veggie loving siblings.


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## RPCookin (Sep 15, 2012)

I love cilantro, as does my wife.  Chips and salsa with no cilantro in the salsa is bland and boring.  I'll eat fresh cilantro on just about anything.  

My brother hates it - same mom and dad so go figure.


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## DaveSoMD (Sep 16, 2012)

justplainbill said:


> You must'a spent some time in Skaneateles.




LOL!    I got that joke!!!!  (displaced NY-stater here)


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## SoStoked (Sep 23, 2012)

I use to hate cilantro when I was little. Now I like cilantro


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## acerbicacid (Sep 23, 2012)

I'm in the love cilantro camp.   I'm in the U.K. and both the plant and the seeds are called coriander.

One of my favourite ways of using it up, (I buy big bunches from the local Indian shop) is to make a green mojo.  Spanish Cilantro Green Sauce Recipe - Recipe for Mojo de Cilantro - Sauce of the Canary Islands

It also freezes reasonably well, it separates when defrosted but a quick whisk and it emulsifies again.


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## Merlot (Sep 29, 2012)

Cilantro - 7 Healthy Foods with Bizarre Side Effects - Shape Magazine  another little tidbit on cilantro


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## tinlizzie (Sep 30, 2012)

Merlot said:


> Cilantro - 7 Healthy Foods with Bizarre Side Effects - Shape Magazine another little tidbit on cilantro


 
That is an interesting site.  Thanks, Merlot.  Just when we think we're eating healthfully...


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## Merlot (Sep 30, 2012)

tinlizzie said:


> That is an interesting site. Thanks, Merlot. Just when we think we're eating healthfully...


 
I thought the info on beets were interesting, it was something I wasn't aware of!


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## taxlady (Sep 30, 2012)

Merlot said:


> I thought the info on beets were interesting, it was something I wasn't aware of!


I knew that it did that colour thing to some people. I didn't realize it could be a sign of anemia. Good to know.

I'm trying to remember if that happened when I had anemia back in 1970. I was living in Denmark and if you are eating a regular Danish diet, you are eating beets quite regularly.


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## CWS4322 (Sep 30, 2012)

My iron level usually comes back on the high end of normal (it always has). And I know when I've eaten beets, 14%. I also have the asparagus gene and the ability to smell that specific smell in cilantro. Interesting to know. I was trying to remember if I had metallic mouth before I developed my pine nut allergy. I've often wondered if it was because of the country of origin that I reacted...don't dare try pine nuts to find out if I'm still allergic or not.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Sep 30, 2012)

CWS4322 said:


> My iron level usually comes back on the high end of normal (it always has). And I know when I've eaten beets, 14%. I also have the asparagus gene and the ability to smell that specific smell in cilantro. Interesting to know. I was trying to remember if I had metallic mouth before I developed my pine nut allergy. I've often wondered if it was because of the country of origin that I reacted...don't dare try pine nuts to find out if I'm still allergic or not.



The only pine nuts I can stand are the ones Dad gets in Arizona.


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