Over the years, scientific research has found that the root for some people’s strong aversion to cilantro has to do with their genetic makeup.

Picky eaters are often the butt of every joke and discussion over the dinner table, for their unique food preferences.

Generally, food aversions are difficult to understand as each person has their own experiences with certain dishes and ingredients. 

The so-called “picky eaters” can be found in the corner of a restaurant taking out slices of tomatoes from a sandwich, removing mushrooms from a salad, or even picking out bananas from a dessert.

Sometimes, however, food preferences are scientifically-backed and linked to genetics. 

In naming examples, cilantro, the leaves of the coriander plant, stands on top of the list of scientific research on food preferences.

The highly nutritious herb is commonly used in different cuisines either as a main ingredient or garnish. It contains antioxidants and antibacterial functions, adding more benefits to a hearty meal.

Despite its many positive uses however, some people find cilantro revolting.

In fact, experts have discovered that the word “cilantro” is derived from the Greek term for “bedbug” because of its smell of “a crushed bedbug”, as per an explanation published in the University of California, Los Angeles library.

The hatred towards cilantro is so common that there is a Facebook group with at least 25,000 cilantro-phobes titled “I Hate Cilantro” in addition to various online blogs.

Even some chefs have admitted that they push aside any dish that has cilantro. 

In a famous interview with the late Larry King in 2002, prominent American cook Julia Child said that cilantro had a “dead taste.”

Science to the rescue

Over the years, scientific research has found that the root for some people’s strong aversion to cilantro has to do with their genetic makeup.

The research found that people who hate cilantro commonly said it tastes and smells like soap, prompting further investigations over the odd description.

One conclusion that experts have been able to draw over is the connection between one’s smell receptors and taste, both of which vary from one person to another. Some smell receptors, or olfactory receptors, detect certain compounds differently than others due to their genetic makeup.

Research by flavour chemists discovered that some smell receptors are better at detecting specific molecules in cilantro, known as aldehydes. Upon digging deeper into the compound, experts also found that cilantro, soaps and bugs may have similar or the same exact aldehydes.

Once the brain detects an aroma, it instantly attaches it to others before deciding whether or not to consume a certain food. In this instance when it comes to cilantro, one’s brain connects it to soap, which in turn forms their perception of the plant as an inedible and off-putting substance.

Can this change?

There are debates on whether a person can alter their aversion to certain foods, like cilantro, and some experts believe it is definitely possible.

A key factor that can lead to the gradual change is ensuring positive exposures to the food, such as presenting it in gatherings with loved ones, as time and space are known to affect one’s mental perception of foods.

The method proved to be successful for Jay Gottfried, a neuroscientist at Northwestern University, also a former cilantro-phobe.

In 2010, Gottfried told The New York Times that brain patterns eventually change one’s perceptions to certain flavours.

“My brain must have developed new patterns for the cilantro flavour from those experiences, which included pleasure from the other flavours and the sharing with friends and family. That’s how people in cilantro-eating countries experience it every day,” the expert told the American outlet at the time.

Other methods include either mixing cilantro with other strong ingredients in order to eliminate its prominent taste, or grinding the herb before adding it to the dish.

But if both methods somehow fail, cilantro-phobes can still use scientific research to shield themselves from criticism on the dinner table.