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---
  layout: post
  title: Love it or Hate it
  author: Joe Schwarcz
  source: McGill Blogs
---
  HYPERLINK "http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2016/02/12/love-it-or-hate-it/" 
Love it or Hate it 

  When it comes to food, everyone has likes and dislikes. Chocolate
generally gets favourable comments, spinach less so. But no flavour
seems to elicit the degree of polarizing comments as that of cilantro.
There are websites and Facebook groups dedicated to demonizing cilantro,
likening its aroma to soap or curiously, to dead bugs.

The seeds of the cilantro plant are known as coriander and are even
mentioned in the book of Exodus. Archeologists found some in King
Tutankhamen’s tomb, perhaps placed there with hopes of adding some
spice to the afterlife. The ancient Chinese believed there would be no
need to worry about the afterlife if you consumed cilantro because the
herb conferred immortality. Hippocrates used it as medicine and even
today some people ascribe health benefits to the herb based on its
content of antioxidants, anti-bacterial compounds and minerals. These,
though, are not unique to cilantro, all plants contain varying
quantities of these substances.

Another supposed benefit is cilantro’s ability to chelate heavy
metals. The term “chelate” comes from the Greek meaning “claw”
and refers to compounds that have the ability to remove harmful metal
ions from solution by gripping them like a claw. Some bloggers even push
cilantro as an ingredient in a “detox” salad, claiming it rids the
body of heavy metals. As usual, there is a kernel of truth to the claim,
but that kernel is inflated with nonsense until it pops.

A few studies have shown that cilantro leaves can produce a chelating
effect in water spiked with heavy metals and that cilantro can reduce
absorption of lead when food tainted with it is fed to mice. But these
effects are light years from a salad with cilantro accomplishing any
sort of heavy metal “detoxing” in people. Such a claim would require
a demonstration of there being a heavy metal problem in the first place
and its reduction with cilantro. A PubMed search for “cilantro
detox” yields zero entries. Similarly, there is no basis to some food
faddists’ claim that “cilantro can reduce water weight, is a cancer
fighter and can improve memory with its brain protecting vitamins and
minerals.”

While the scientific literature provides no evidence for health
benefits, it does provide clues when it comes to cilantro’s polarizing
flavour. What we refer to as flavour is the sensation triggered when
molecules in food encounter receptors on our taste buds and in our nasal
passage. Indeed, scent is an integral part of the sensation as evidenced
by cilantro haters not being bothered if they consume the herb while
holding their nose.

Some forty compounds have been isolated from cilantro including a number
in the aldehyde family that are mainly responsible for the aroma and
taste. The composition of the seeds is somewhat different, having
linalool, also found in lavender and cannabis, as a major component. It
has a pleasant floral scent accounting for its use in cleaning agents,
detergents and shampoos. When inhaled it can reduce stress. At least in
lab rats. Rats that inhaled linalool saw a reduction in the elevated
levels of white blood cells induced by stress.

It is the aldehydes in cilantro that cause some people to liken the
scent to soaps and lotions because these compounds are indeed found in
those products. But why only some people? One theory is that the
cilantrophobes are “supertasters” and can taste compounds that
others can’t. Supertasters do exist, but they react to very specific
bitter compounds such as propylthiouracil, while most people taste
nothing. However, there are no such compounds in cilantro and
“supertasters” are no more likely to be cilantro haters than anyone
else.

It seems, though, that people ho abhor cilantro may have some sort of
genetic connection, if we go by an interesting study carried out by Dr.
Charles Wysocki of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.
Taking advantage of the annual twins festival in Twinsburg, Ohio,
Wysocki had identical and fraternal twins rate the scent of chopped
cilantro. There were definitely lovers and haters, with identical twins
almost always agreeing with their sibling, which was not the case for
fraternal twins. Experiments at Monell have also separated the
components of cilantro using gas chromatography and showed that while
everyone can smell the “soapy” aldehydes, cilantro haters cannot
smell the compounds that make the herb so attractive to its fans.

Interestingly, there is also an ethnocultural connection. A study at the
University of Toronto surveyed 1639 young adults and had them rate their
preference for cilantro on a 9 point scale. East Asians were the most
likely to dislike cilantro with roughly 21% expressing their distaste.
Caucasians were not far behind at 17%. Only 14% of those of African
descent disliked the taste, followed by South Asians at 7%, Hispanics at
4% and Middle Eastern subjects at 3%. These stats roughly parallel the
use of cilantro in the cuisine of these areas suggesting that there is a
connection between liking cilantro and frequency of exposure.

While cilantro’s enemies would rather stick rusty needles into their
eyeballs than eat the fresh herb, they normally don’t object to
cilantro in cooked foods such as pesto. That’s because the herb’s
flavor changes as the volatile aldehydes escape into the air when it is
crushed, cooked or pureed. Cilantro fans of course crave fresh cilantro
and when cooking add the herb at the end stage. As for me, I’m with
Julia Child on this one. Back in 2002 she told Larry King in an
interview that if she found cilantro in a dish she was served she would
pick it out and throw it on the floor. I recognize, though, that there
are people who would jump to catch it before it hit the ground because
they just love the smell and taste of this herb that has pleased some
and irritated others since biblical times.

Joe Schwarcz PhD – Feb 12th/2016