Creation Every Day: An Herb for Everyone

My friend Laura will press her nose into a bouquet of fresh cilantro to inhale its bodacious fragrance. But for me, a single fleck of cilantro can ruin a dip of salsa or a spoonful of chili.

Some people describe the herb as “fruity” and “fresh,” while others define the smell as “soapy” or even “like a stink bug.” The famous chef Julia Child said it had a “dead taste.” To me, cilantro smells . . . well, just not quite right.

Turns out, science might validate my aversion to the vile vegetation.

We each have hundreds of receptors that detect chemicals in the air and our food, signaling our brains to recognize smells and tastes.

After searching the DNA of 25,000 people, a genetic testing company found variants in the olfactory receptor genes of people who said they didn’t like cilantro. Turns out, those receptors are more sensitive to certain aromas, including aldehydes, chemical compounds found in soap and cilantro.

In addition to genetics, culture shapes our taste preferences. For example, in Central American countries where the herb is used widely, fewer people dislike cilantro than people in African countries do. Maybe I don’t appreciate the taste because my mom never sprinkled cilantro on my food.

Regardless of how culture and genes may trigger an aversion to cilantro, one thing is certain: we taste and smell the world with individual preferences and prejudices.

Maybe I’m a genetic oddity, or perhaps I’m just persnickety. But I like to think that my cilantro-averse palate gives me one more reason to praise the Creator who made countless other flavors for me to savor. Fresh dill, basil, rosemary, fennel, lavender, chives—God’s herb cupboard has something to satisfy everyone.