Re: [CH] Cilantro, soap, etc.

peter gaffney (petergaffney@bc.sympatico.ca)
Mon, 23 Nov 1998 22:47:25 -0800 

this thread (about cilantro) has been very interesting.
although it seems to be "off topic", the fact that many chile enhanced
recipes (especially from mexico) are also flavored with cilantro,
clearly
qualifies cilantro as an ingredient worthy of discussion here.
   my impression, was that very few folks encountered the "soapy,
detergent" flavour ... misery loves company ... nice to see that i'm not
the
only one!  although i now enjoy the herb in (moderate quantities)
various
salsas & moles, it's not likely that you'll catch me eating cilantro
pesto.
i may have "developed a taste " for cilantro as a seasoning, and i
certainly
don't outright detest the stuff ... i get the lemony undertones, but
it's still
just too "Palmolive" for me to really enjoy on its own !
   the various postings have left me with several unanswered questions
...
hopefully, the experts can offer some enlightenment!

(1) as one of the apparent minority who tastes "soap" in cilantro,
    are my tastebuds sending more info to the brain (soapy flavor) or
    do my tastebuds merely fail to recognize some other flavor component

    that's in the herb which may alter or mask the inherent soapiness?
(2) there seem to be several types of plants labeled as "cilantro".  are
they
    all closely related? (like red onion, spanish, walla-walla,
scallions, etc.)
(3) most cilantro, at the markets here in vancouver, looks similar to
    italian parsley. what variety might this be?
    is there a type that has less soapy flavors & more of the citrus
tastes?
(4) if one type of cilantro is more palatable to unfortunate souls like
myself,
    what variety should i ask the green-grocer to stock?
(5) when parents, in the southwest, hear their kids cussing ...
    do they threaten to "wash their mouths out with cilantro"?  ;)

regards
peter g

refs below :

George Nelson wrote:

 > The comparison of the taste of cilantro with soap has been mentioned
on
 > this list as well as by my colleagues at work.  ...
 > A major cilantro constituent is d-linalool ("coriandrol" or
 > d-3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol).  Eight-carbon alcohols have a
soapy-type
 > aroma and their reduced solubility might give a slick, oily
mouth-feel.
 > The unsaturation ("-octadien-") could certainly enhance this.  The
 > branching (-"3,7-dimethyl-") helps make it  "lemony."

>  The link to the smell of industrial soap is that linalool is used as
an
>  ingredient in perfumes and to give pleasant aromas to products,
including
>  soaps, after shaves, etc.
..............................................................................................................

>Margaret Lauterbach wrote:

>I know this discussion on cilantro has gone on before at least a couple
of
>times.  But I don't recall any discussion about whether those who
detest
>cilantro also detest the substitutes such as Papalo (Porophyllum
ruderale
>ssp. macrocephalum) or Vietnamese coriander (Polygonum odoratum) or
>Mex coriander (culantro), botanically Eryngium foetidum.  Since these
are
>different species from the regular cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), they
>might not evoke the soapy flavor that cilantro seems to produce.  I am
>curious about reactions to these substitutes.