this post was submitted on 15 Feb 2026
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I've been wondering for a while now if I might have that gene or whether Cilantro is just a herb i dislike. I can stomach dishes with cilantro in them, but it just stings through everything. No matter how little was put in, it tastes to me like somebody over-cilantro'd the dish. I've never eaten anything where I thought "Mmmh, yes, there's a subtle hint of cilantro" - it's always "Oh, there's the cilantro, and it's just too strong".

But whenever I read about this online, people say that it tastes like soap. It's been a couple of years since I was toddler enough to just put soap in my mouth. But in my mind, the taste of soap is mostly bitter, with an overwhelming tropical/fruity/citrussy flavor of whatever the producers decided to make the soap smell like. I also imagine it having a really unpleasant texture/mouthfeel. I have no urge to try eating soap, just so I can compare it with the taste of a herb. And I assume that most people with the Cilantro-gene also haven't made an actual taste-comparison. So hence my question: In what way does anything - but cilantro in particular - taste like soap?

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[–] SethranKada@lemmy.ca 6 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Only partially related, why does no one talk about what it tastes like when you don't have the gene? Nobody told me it's like spicy mint! I was expecting something mild like basil or something. But no, it's overpowering.

I had the chance to try it for the first time a few months ago when I discovered a local restaurant sells Bahi Mi with cilantro and pickled carrots. Its delicious, but I was not expecting that flavor.

[–] paraplu@piefed.social 7 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

To my taste, it's extremely fresh and vegetal. Kind of in a similar way to how lime, cucumber, or jalapeno are.

I'm a bit puzzled by both the spicy and mint comparisons you make.

[–] SethranKada@lemmy.ca 2 points 13 hours ago

I think lime, cucumber and jalapeño is a pretty good descriptor. Lime and cucumber just taste a lot like mint to me.

Fresh is also a good description. It makes my mouth feel clean just like mint does.

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 4 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

I think, people are largely not aware that genetic differences can affect the taste so much, so they just assume that everyone experiences the same taste, just with different preferences for different tastes.

But yeah, when I learned that cumin is another candidate for genetic differences in taste perception, I also had to ask a friend to describe the taste, because I've never seen the taste described anywhere. For me, it just tastes extremely hollow, while it's apparently a rather rich taste for other folks...

[–] kiwifoxtrot@lemmy.world 2 points 43 minutes ago

The taste of a spice like cumin will be highly dependent on the age of the seed and if it is ground or not. Ground spices oxidize quickly and lose a lot of volatile compounds which contribute to their depth. To taste cumin properly, it is best to lightly toast whole cumin seeds and then crush/ grind them. The difference between the store bought ground cumin is night and day.

[–] SethranKada@lemmy.ca 3 points 16 hours ago

Huh, interesting!