Visitors contribute their cilantro stories...

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 "When I first got my drivers license my father asked me to drive a bag of vegetables from his garden to my grandmothers house. Knowing my hate for cilantro, he wrapped the cilantro in plastic, set it in the bottom of the bag and didn’t tell me it was in there. He put the bag in my car and off I drove that warm summer day. About 3 blocks later I could smell the cilantro, aroma released via cut stems and the heat in my car. I didn’t know what to do, there wasn’t enough time, I pulled the car over onto the gravel shoulder, and before I could even get my door open, I threw up. I drove back home to clean myself up. My father asked me what happened. “YOU KNOW!!!!!” I replied. Never… ever, EVER again, not in my car, not in my home, not in my presence… you demon cilantro!"




 "I've never actually eaten cilantro, but I hate it all the same. This summer (I'm 15) we had to grow various herbs, and I got Cilantro. It NEVER GREW until the next to last day of class. Then, they all died on me. It took them 5 weeks to grow, and then they died"




 "I had Cilantro on Chicken once in San Diego when I first from Philadelphia. I I thought it was Oregano. It was piled ona chicken breast at a holiday party.NOPE It was awful Cilantro, What the hell is this crap!! ewww I am still scared. It was stuck in my teeth and that nasty taste haunted me all day.. gagging.. never Ever again! I moved back to Philly and it's good food!"





 "It tastes exactly like stink bugs! I've only seen these in Europe, not the U.S., but they taste _exactly_ like these smelled when crushed.

http://www.chateau-barbet.com/images/natuur/punaise.jpg

Wikipedia quote : "The name coriander derives from Latin coriandrum, which was first noted by Pliny. The Latin word derives in turn from Greek corys, a bedbug, plus -ander, 'resembling', and refers to the supposed similarity of the scent of the crushed leaves to the distinctive odour of bedbugs (largely forgotten in this age of insecticides)."

I have never smelled nor seen a bedbug, but I can only guess that bed bugs and these European stink bugs (punaise in French) smell the same.

It is seriously exactly the same sensation I get when I eat cilantro/coriander leaf and when I smell these crushed bugs. Anyone else smelled these bugs and get the same sensation from cilantro?"




 "Eureka! You have just changed my life. You have solved a puzzle that haunted me for years.

Around the age of 18 I was persuaded by some friends to join them at an Indian restaurant - something of a novelty in those days. They were raving about the curries. Until then the closest I'd had was a Vesta curry, a bland convenience food in a packet.

Someone chose a dish which arrived on a pseudo-ethnic wok. One mouthful sent me reeling. I was instantly and deeply horrified. The taste was so disgusting I was speechless for the rest of the meal and swore never to go near a curry house again.

Years later another friend dragged me to an Indian restaurant, assuring me the food wasn't that bad. He ordered a rogan gohst for me. It was delicious. From that moment I was hooked. Now I can't get enough of a good curry.

Thank goodness I now know what caused that evening of abject misery followed by years of exile. All that time wasted, all that fun sacrificed on the altar of the Herb from Hell...

The relief! The freedom! The triumph! The chains are cast away! Thank you.

"





 "Thank you for you very necessary webpage to do with the evil evil weed! I live in the hub of supposedly good eating Newtown, Sydney and not only does the majority of resturants manage to include corriander (that's the name used here), but even when I ask for the food without, it's used as a garnish.
even the smell of if when someone else is eating it makes me recoil.
I have politely eaten food with cilantro & woken in the night with headache.
why did this nasty weed take off?
Anne"




 "A friend of mine & I went out grocery shopping one nice weekend day, we were hanging out and we both enjoy cooking. He wanted to make a Mexican dish, and bought a healthy handful of the vile weed. We were in the kitchen, he was chopping it up (he loves the stuff, I mean, *loves* it) and he gave me a bit to taste. I chewed it for a bit, and the unholy nastiness of the taste made me want to hoark right then and there. I spit it into the trash when he wasn't looking, thinking it was over, but then the aftertaste came upon me. And didn't leave for a couple of hours. I finally had to tell him that it was the nastiest thing I'd ever tasted in my life. It doesn't especially taste like soap, or metallic to me. It tastes more like earwax.

The cilantro-lover that he is, he seems to think that it's an acquired taste and I will learn to love it. (once, in a health food store, he had me chew up and taste a seed. it was coriander. I noticed the taste instantly.) It isn't that simple. I'm not a picky eater by any stretch of the imagination, and I can't name any type of food that I actively avoid.

I cannot tolerate cilantro. The smell makes me nauseous, and if i detect it in a dish it's all I can taste for hours. If it is used in moderation (which it rarely is) I can almost choke the food down, but I can't taste any other flavors in the food.

My worst experience with cilantro: I ordered a couple of veggie wraps at our university's food court, and took a bite or two... I was thinking to myself, I know that taste... not good, had a few more bites, had to unwrap it to inspect.. and it was full of fresh cilantro. I was eating what must have been a handful of cilantro mixed with salsa in a tortilla. They should put warning stickers on these things. A big green Mr. Yuk sticker that says "danger: cilantro."

Tonight I was out shopping, and came across some nice, fresh guacamole, which I love, and is really hard to find in this town for some reason. So I get home, start enjoying it with some chips, and noticed a bad taste and I couldn't eat much of it. I realized what the taste was, looked at the label and sure enough, cilantro. Who would have thought they would have laced perfectly good guacamole with that poison weed? It's been 3 hours now and I can still taste it, and it has a side effect this time of moving into my sinuses and eyes are starting to sting. lovely.

Interesting facts that I learned about cilantro tonight, on the 'net: The taste (whether you find it pleasing or not) may be genetic, it may have something to do with a reaction with metal dental fillings (which i have, but seems unlikely since even the smell makes me gag,) and Julia Child never used it because she said it "tastes like dirt." "




 "Since moving to California, I've been to the Emergency Room six times in the last ten years for severe allergic reactions to cilantro.

Californians seem to put the crap in everything, everywhere, even things you normally wouldn't expect to have it in it. The last time, it was in a pesto sauce - someone apparently mistook it for parsley and ended up poisoning me with it.

Consider yourself very lucky if all it does is ruin your mean and make you throw up over the taste."




 "Coriander fascists are taking over the catering industry. The filthy stuff is everywhere, smothering decent food with its appalling stench. Its pretty little leaf and healthy image make it a perfect marketing ploy to convince a gullible public they’re eating an exotic delicacy when it’s actually nothing more than an excuse for lazy cuisine. I hate the foul weed with every shred of my being, truly I do.

My first encounter with this disgusting herb was at an Indian restaurant where I used to eat on the journey home after I'd been working late. They served the most delicious Chicken Tikka Massala (OK, old hat now). It was orgasmically good, a glorious tangy aromatic dish like nothing I had tasted before. I actually found myself delaying departure from the office in order to tell the wife not to worry about dinner as I'd have a bite on the way.

One evening, juices flowing, I dived into my favourite dish and was instantly mugged by the taste of rotting flesh, candle wax and shoe polish. What in heaven’s name…? I tried another mouthful. It was worse. I wanted to retch. The shock was unbearable. A cupful of neat petrol would have been a merciful relief from the stench pervading my mouth… my whole body.

I hailed the waiter and choked out a request for an explanation. He did not speak English. Panic set in. I demanded to see the manager. He came over and asked what the problem was. Barely able to speak, I stuttered something about the food being rancid, or have they changed the recipe? “Only a little coriander” he said proudly.

On examination it turned out to be, indeed, a little. Just a few stalks the size of toenail clippings. Honestly, I would sooner have eaten a bowlful of toenail clippings – tramp’s toenail clippings - than this poison. It didn’t just wreck the meal but left me with an abiding hatred of coriander which, try as I may, will not subside to this day.

I really would prefer to like the stuff and I do use lots of coriander seed in cookery. Very occasionally I have been able to stomach coriander when used in small quantities and cooked thoroughly (I’ve also read that the pre-flowering variety is not so bad, but what are the chances of being able to find out in advance whether it’s a young or old plant in your food?).

Coriander (as it’s known here in England) should be eradicated. It should be targeted like opium poppy fields by aircraft fitted with kerosene sprays and incendiary bombs, to ensure the whole lot is wiped out. Every last plant, every last leaf. It is the snozzcumber of modern catering (for those who have read Roald Dahl’s BFG http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snozzcumber ).

A plague on the vile weed. A plague on the coriander fascists who force-feed us with the revolting plant and treat us like weirdo’s when we say we don’t like it.

And thank the Lord for this website. I thought I was alone.
"




 "i hate cilantro more than anyone, period. And coriander, crushed cilanto seeds, has haunted me for years.

I travel to asia two to three times per year. I go where most folks don't travel. Needless to say, cilantro(coriander in most of the world), is everywhere. It has taken me three years and numerous conversations with asian business partners to pinpoint this loathesome spice.

I have known that i hated cilantro since first eating it in a domestic salad years ago, but saying i hate cilantro till blueing in the face never got me anywhere in asia. The bitter flavor assulted me from every dish at every meal.

I would find myself, in vain, trying to seperate out every piece of green from an entire meal of noodles and vegetables. I would go so far as to order my noodles with nothing, no anything, execpt noodles. Much to my dismay, my meal would still have the flavor of coriander from the crushed seeds.

During my last visit, hussien and i were talking of the spice i detest. He was certain that it must be coriander, i was certain it was cilantro. we were both right and know thanks to the wonderful internet, i know that i hate them both.

I am finally armed with the knowledge to tell my hosts that cilatro, coriander, is not welcome on my plate.

Go to hell coriander and take your leaf cilantro with you.

I feel free from the grip of the taste i hate most.

david b. culpepper
"





 "Having been a member of a Community Supported Garden for years, I went one day for the weekly pickup of our veggies. Immediately on entering the barn, with all that lovely produce waiting to be gathered and eaten, my first thought was "What's that awful smell?" As I proceeded around the barn, it became more intense, and then, I saw the sign "Cilantro". I'd never heard of it before, but I'll never forget that moment.
Where did it come from?? I've always loved Mexican food, but did it have small amounts of Cilantro all along? Now it seems that every bowl of salsa is overpowered by that dreadful stuff! How many lovely bowls of chili have been RUINED by it?? I dread the day that someone hands me a Margarita garnished with cilantro....."




 "When I was in high school, my first job was at a Local Pizza Place. This said Local Pizza Place offered a "Southwest Chicken Pizza". On this pizza of southwested-ness, is none other than cilantro. First of all, if I were creating this pizza, I would shoot for garlic before something green like cilantro... I mean think of it-- the pizza is made with bbq sauce instead of marinara, monterrey jack, red onions, and a chicken cooked similar to fajitas. Cilantro just takes away from the flavor. Anyway-- back to me... something about cutting fresh cilantro 10-20 times each day I worked and smelling like it indefinately between work days, made me want to rip my hair out and denounce cilantro as a "tasty" herb-- after working there for over a year, I could no longer call the herb an edible part of the pizza, in fact, I would sneak it out without the cilantro-- just because I could not stomach ANYONE eating the vile green stuff.
"




 "I have hated cilantro since I first encountered it back in 1987 while eating at a restaurant in Providence, RI (the memory is still vivid). Since then, I take every effort to avoid it (I will spend between 10 to 30 minutes using the tines of a fork picking it out of my food if the restaurant screws up on my "no cilantro" request). One day, I had to make a last-minute stop at the grocery store because I needed lettuce (for my rabbit). I was slightly distracted because my boyfriend, whom at the time I had just started dating, was with me. In trying to find a fresh head of lettuce, I had to move a rubber banded bunch of greens that had fallen from an upper produce shelf into the lettuces. I paid for the lettuce and we left the store. I soon smelled something awful and in trying to find out the source, I was horrified to learn that the stink was from my hand. I then realized that the bunch of greens I had moved out of the lettuces must have been cilantro. Since we were in the middle of a city sidewalk, I ran to the first bush I could find that bore somewhat fragrant leaves, grabbed a handful of leaves, and started smashing and rubbing them within my hands to try to get the disgusting smell off. I did this two or three times. My boyfriend (now husband) thought I was nuts. But the bush leaves worked pretty well."




 "I was eating sushi, which was shaped to look like a dragon. The dragon had little antennas that looked like long green stems. The sushi itself was delicious, and after I was finished, I decided to try and eat the green-stem-atennae. I took one bite and the sickening taste of battery acid-mixed with poop-mixed with urine-mixed with spare change filled my mouth. Needless to say I spat it out and started uncontrollably retching at the table. Thank God I didn't throw up at the table--though I do think that bile mixed with stomach juices still tastes better than cilantro..."




 "Cilantro, from my experience, is definitley an acquired taste. a few years ago, I moved to England to go to school and during my first few months there, I just about starved! Anything you could pop in the microwave contained cilantro. I believe I developed a sixth sense because of it - pretty much, just about anything I could heat up, boil etc - eventually produced that strong, overpowering, distinctive stench - which actually made me angry..."




 "Ohmigosh.....and to think that I was suffering alone all these years...I could have really used the internet back in the day?!

My first memory (pre-cilantro) was when I when I was a kid....how that curly leaf parsley tasted like the water you drank out of a garden hose on one of those really hot days. Mom said it was all in my head. Happy ending to this story, I've grown to like curly leaf parsley. For the horror I now live, read on......

My mom is a great cook. In fact, probably one of the greatest ones I know. The only dish I remember really disliking as a child was her chinese chicken salad. Yup, little did I know, she put chopped corriander leaves in it. I never knew at the time why I always felt sick while eating the dish. I eventually realized it was those little green flecks of nastiness that made me feel ill. Mom told me that it was all in my head. She must have believed me a little because she also once said I'd grow out of it.

In college, I didn't know that corriander was the same stuff as cilantro. A group of friends and I were gathering at one of our apartments for a nice homemade "mexican" dinner. I was in charge of setting the table while the others were in the kitchen preparing the food. After setting the table, I walked into the kitchen and began gagging. I mean REALLY gagging. You know, the kind where your throat makes these unbelievable noises that you never knew you could make. I had no idea why. I walked back into the dining room and I was fine. When I went back into the kitchen, I started doing the gagging, retching, almost like you're going to dry heave dance. My eyes were watering and I thought I was going to die!! One of my friends started cracking up because she realized that it was the cilantro (a whole freakin' cup of it) she had just chopped that was affecting me this way. Yeah, really funny....nobody else seemed to be affected. I told my mom what had happened. Yup, she said that it was only in my head.

Well, I have tried and tried to eat cilantro. Even taking little bitty bites of it. Nope, I just can't stomach it. Nor the smell. Somehow my mom keeps giving me that look like I'm faking it. At least now she makes her chinese chicken salad with a bowl of chopped cilantro ON THE SIDE. Thanks, mom...I love you to the sky and back...AND NO, I HAVEN'T GROWN OUT OF IT!! I'm just happy that I've found a community of people who know what the heck I've been going through!"




 "Cilantro is like a bad penny, it just keeps turning up. I was at the greenhouse the other day, buying herbs for my patio garden. I could not smell because I had a cold, so I read the labels. A few days later, my cold had resolved. I stepped out my front door onto the patio, what was that VILE smell? Oh My God, I had somehow purchased CILANTRO!! Ugh, I went to the kitchen, got a pair of disposable gloves and uprooted this plant, that had been labeled, "flat leaf parsley", by the way, and promptly bagged it and put it in the garbage. All the while gagging and trying not to puke up my breakfast!

The first time I had cilantro was at a friend's BBQ. She was having a Mexican theme and put that "herb from hell" on everything. I tried to gag down a couple of mouthfuls for her sake, but I just couldn't fake it. It tasted like dish detergent and aluminum foil and STINK, oh my god. It was just awful. I brushed my teeth, I gargled with listerine, I even swished my mouth with peroxide. The stench, that vile taste. Who actually considers this an edible plant?? and why do they keep putting it in all my food at restaurants??? I must confess, I do lie and tell servers that I am allergic. I just cannot take another mouthful. Not Ever.

I am so thankful that this site exists, I AM NOT CRAZY, and I AM NOT ALONE! Thank you, thank you, thank you."




 "Beware of the Quesadilla Explosion Salad from Chili's. So one day a group of coworkers and I headed for Chili's Restarant one fine night afterwork for a quick bite and some drinks. Since our local Chili's is a test kitchen (meaning the dishes on the menu are available on a limited bases and good reviews on the dishes will be added to the regular menu around the country). So I wanted a salad and opted for the new Quesadilla Explosion salad. First and foremost, I can be pretty picky regarding my foods so I read through all of the ingredients just to make sure its all good. I came across corn, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, seasoned chicken, etc. I did notice "cilantro" listed but didn't know it very well then. Little did I know what was to come. So I asked my coworkers about it and they said it is found in a lot of mexican foods including salsa. One of my coworkers said to stay clear of it. Yes, she is a fellow cilantro hater. Unfortunately I didn't heed her advice. Since I love mexican foods, I thought I must have had it before and it should be ok. So I ordered it. When it arrived, it had a great presentation. A nice large portion of salad surrounded by 4 cheese quesadilla wedges. Little did I know, within all of the greens, there were dealy flakes of the worst tasting entity in all the land. It only took one bite when I noticed a foul taste invading my taste buds. My poor taste buds screamed in horror with a look of digust upon my face. Several coworkers laughed. I thought my salad was bad until I noticed that the salad was literally opver-filled with cilantro. I kid you not, the salad was screaming of the sickening flakes. Needless to say I didn't touch the salad. Since it was a test kitchen, I had the opportunity to fill out a review on the salad. Of course I recommeded to drop and burn the cilantro. I even said the salad should be called "Cilantro Explosion Salad". There was more cilantro than lettuce! This was two years ago, the salad is still available today with cilantro. If you ever get the urge to order it, ASK TO HAVE IT WITHOUT THE CILANTRO! or just do not order it at all. "




 "I'm just wondering when Cilantro became the New Parsley? I can't even order a salad anymore without it being covered in it...chicken, cilantro...fish, Cilantro...Rice...Cilantro. My family finds it necessary to put it on everything and there I am with just a pile of disgusting, not parsley, not garnish, leaves. I almost feel obliged to lie and say I'm allergic in restaurants I hate it that much. "




 "My life experience with cilantro was, until last month, a long, nondescript period of vague discomfort and malaise. I understood the fact that cilantro was to be avoided, but like a dog that has been kicked, it was a Pavlovian reaction - I never gave voice to the malcontent, just skirted around the known causes of pain.

Until I finally got broadsided by a most unexpected and potent source of the foul stuff - an Applebees "Weight Watchers Southwest Chicken Cobb Salad". The salad was delivered to my anticipating hands at my office one day. My coworker had the misfortune of ordering the same salad. The salad itself was a thing of beauty; dark greens piled with chicken, cheese, corn and black beans. Just like the menu stated. I gleefully heaped the provided dressing onto my salad - some sort of creamy white substance with fresh looking green herbs in it. Oh, my ignorance. One bite and I knew... the cilantro had found me! I thought surely I must have overreacted based on a shock/adrenaline response, so I forced myself to eat several more bites, as I searched to identify other more desirable flavors in the salad. See, I'm a very open-minded person with a trainable palate. But the more I ate, the more the revulsion and nausea crept in. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I ran to my coworker's desk to ask her if, in fact, it was as bad as I thought. The most traumatic series of events unfolded. She was on the phone, about to transfer her cilantro-infested dressing onto her salad. My mind struggled with the moral dilemma - should I stop her? Interrupt her call? Or allow her to proceed as normal (again trying to dismiss my cilantro-aversion as imaginary). My inability to make a quick decision was, as usual, the deciding factor. I went back to sit with my salad and ponder. Five minutes later, my reverie is interrupted by a call from her: "Is your salad... wierd?" Obviously, she was new to the cilantro experience. Inside, I cried for her and her lost innocence - and her wasted salad which I could have prevented.

I was however thankful that I wasn't the only one trying to justify my reaction, because she also attempted to keep eating through the pain. Finally she complained of numbness and blistering in her lips and tongue. Together, we rinsed our salads, scraped together the sorry remains, added store bought ranch salad dressing, and ignored the lasting essence left by the dreadful "herb" cilantro.

I did call the restaurant, by the way; but I'm afraid my complaints fell upon deaf ears - the manager's name was "Javier" and this unfortunate event happened to fall on Cinco De Mayo... JUST MY LUCK.

A friend of mine found this site for me, and I feel like I've finally come home! I had no idea that something as small and apparently harmless as cilantro could evoke such powerful emotions in other people as well... what a relief it is!"





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Please contribute YOUR cilantro story.