Well, it's partly genetic. All those
Blame it on your genes — and your surroundings
Some people possess a gene that makes them super-sensitive to the aldehyde component found in cilantro and other foods and products. One study noted a very specific genetic link near the olfactory center of DNA in about 10% of those with cilantro aversion.
OR26A is the genetic SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) that makes cilantro taste like soap to some people: bitter and excruciating — almost painfully metallic and horrible.
Cilantro haters are a vocal bunch (an estimated 4-14% of the population), so against the herb that they can't even bear the tiniest taste. And yet, do we know why? Why Do Some People Hate Cilantro?
A 2012 study published in Flavour identified a gene, called OR6A2, that appears to be responsible for the perception of coriander as tasting like soap for some people. Those who have a specific variation of this gene are more likely to have this impression of coriander.
Get used to it!
If you're interested in seeing whether you can get over your cilantro aversion, it's certainly possible. Just ask the neuroscientist in McGee's piece, who also happens to be an expert in smell. McGee notes that crushing cilantro may help eliminate its more soapy aroma substances.
After surveying nearly 30,000 people, the scientists singled it down to the OR6A2 gene. This gene “codes for the receptor that picks up the scent of aldehyde chemicals” — these chemicals are found in cilantro and soap, which is why many people anecdotally say cilantro tastes like soap.
They found that those people who said cilantro tastes like soap share a common smell-receptor gene cluster called OR6A2. This gene cluster picks up the scent of aldehyde chemicals. Natural aldehyde chemicals are found in cilantro leaves, and those chemicals are also used during soapmaking.
As many as one in five people says that coriander has a soapy taste. This is likely to be due to a super-sensitivity to chemicals called aldehydes, which are present in coriander and are also used to perfume soaps and detergents.
Coriander is used extensively in Latin-American and Mexican cooking. Try adding a teaspoon next time you make posole, enchiladas, or even just a pot of beans. You'll also find coriander in a lot of Indian cooking, where it's used as one of the spices in many curry dishes.
You can enhance flavors of these veggies with herbs. On the safe list, you'll find: basil, chili, coriander, ginger, lemongrass, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme. Legumes, or beans, are often called the “musical fruit” because they contain indigestible saccharides.
Coriander can cause allergic reactions. Symptoms of such reactions can include asthma, nasal swelling, hives, or swelling inside the mouth. These reactions appear to be most common in people who work with spices in the food industry. When applied to the skin: Coriander is POSSIBLY SAFE when used appropriately.
Summary. An allergy to cilantro is not common, however, there have been reports of anaphylaxis due to cilantro. Symptoms of an allergy to cilantro may include itching, swelling in the mouth, cough, and a rash. Some people report that cilantro tastes like soap, but this is unrelated to allergies.
Depending on ancestry, somewhere between 3% and 21% of the population associate it with unpleasant taste, including a combination of soap and vomit, or say that it is similar to the foul smelling odor emitted by stinkbugs.
Cilantro taste aversion is linked to a change in the OR6A2 gene. This is an olfactory receptor gene. Olfactory receptors are responsible for the sense of smell which affects taste also. People who do not like the taste of cilantro are found to have the CC genotype of SNP rs72921001 found in the OR6A2 gene.
"It is estimated that 4 to 14 percent of the U.S. population has this genetic variation, making cilantro taste like soap," says Chef Brooke Baevsky, a manager in product development at Freshly. "For everyone else, the leafy green tastes like a fresh herb."
These people have a variation in a group of olfactory-receptor genes that allows them to strongly perceive the soapy-flavored aldehydes in cilantro leaves. This genetic quirk is usually only found in a small percent of the population, though it varies geographically.
Super-tasters have many more visible taste papillae than tasters and non-tasters. This is illustrated in the figure below. This means they have many more taste cells with receptors for bitter taste. Super-tasters are also more sensitive to sweet, salty and umami tastes, but to a lesser extent (10).
So, if cilantro does taste like soap to you, you may have that combination of both supertaster and the olfactory receptors that could prove invaluable to companies that want to make sure their products' tastes never change.
If you can't stomach cilantro or other bitter foods such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts or arugula, you can blame your DNA. "Something as simple as … a really small change in your bitter receptor gene can actually influence how much you like to eat vegetables and how much you do eat vegetables," Hayes says.
' It's these receptors that determine what we taste when we eat coriander. Depending on your smell receptors, you may experience a soap-like flavour, rather than the herby flavour others experience. Coriander is just one food that may drastically differ in taste depending on your genetic make-up.
Now we know there is a genetic basis. Cucumbers contain related organic compounds that are thought to cause the smell and taste some people find repugnant and others don't notice at all. A gene called TAS2R38 is responsible. It's true; that cucumber hate is actually encoded in their genes!
Compared with other species, the celery gene number was similar to that of tomato (34,727), larger than those of Arabidopsis (27,416) and carrot (32,113), and lower than those of tea tree (36,951) and rice (57,939) (Supplementary Table S4).
The cause of the soapy taste is a specific gene that apparently has been been dormant in you, but that's not uncommon, people can develop allergies or get over them, too.