Who knew? To some people cilantro has an unpleasant taste, akin to soap. Julia Child herself avoided this delectable herb. Fortunately, no one in our family suffers from this affliction.
But it is an important issue in our society, evidently, as evidenced by the #1 "most emailed" ranking of an article in today's New York Times that explains the controversy and details the chemical underpinnings of some people's aversion. There are fat molecules called aldehydes that form part of cilantro's complex flavor, but that also show up in soap, lotions, cosmetics, and -- adding weight to the pleas of the cilantro-avoiders -- some insects such as bedbugs. So let us be understanding and back off when someone eschews the guacamole and tells us: "It tastes yucky." All the more for the rest of us.
The photo above shows the current status of our cherished backyard cilantro, which has bolted and is putting out tiny blossoms.
The plants are two and three feet tall. They were grown from saved seeds and it looks like there will be plenty more to save.
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