I am by no means a picky eater. I have no known food allergies. I eat meat, fish, dairy, gluten and pretty much anything put in front of me. Even if I’m not particularly fond of a meal, I will typically clean my plate. There are starving children in Africa and, well, I like to eat. However, there is one little thing that I find absolutely repulsive and with even the slightest sprinkle it can ruin an entire meal. That, my friends, is cilantro.
For years I hid my cilantrophobia in fear of appearing picky or high maintenance. I never wanted to be someone who asks for lists of ingredients and spends forty minutes ordering a meal. Thus, I would just order blindly and hope for the best. If I couldn’t pick the cilantro out of a dish, I would try to eat around it. If that failed, I would chase it down with some soda to mask the soapy taste. I had heard mysterious tales of kids growing up hating tomatoes and then one day, all of a sudden, BAM – they love tomatoes. I waited patiently for that magical day when my taste buds would suddenly turn a 180. Yet my cilantro love never blossomed.
Recently at work, I overheard a coworker state that he too hated cilantro. At last I had found an ally. He introduced me to an entire community of cilantrophobes. There were “I Hate Cilantro” blogs, Facebook groups and numerous publications on the subject. To my surprise, even famous chefs like Julia Child, Ina Garten and Fabio Viviani are/were cilantrophobes! Julia Child once claimed in an interview with Larry King, “I would pick it out if I saw it and throw it on the floor.” Thank you, Julia! I would, too! For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel alone in this cold, cilantro-loving world.
Apparently, the issue is so widespread that scientific studies have been conducted to determine its roots. Various twin studies point to a genetic root in cilantrophobia. Scientists found that the issue lies in olfactory or smell deficiencies in those who dislike cilantro. Some of us may lack the ability to detect the “green” or “pleasing” aroma of the leaf. Instead, we only pick up on the leaf’s displeasing odor, causing it to smell and consequently taste soapy. So it’s not our fault! We’re not picky or high maintenance, we’re genetically and/or nasally impaired!
Although this distaste for cilantro is not a life-threatening allergy, I feel as if it could be taken a bit more seriously by the food industry. I’m looking at you, Chipotle! It is nearly impossible for me to eat at your restaurant. I’m not asking for a full cilantro-free menu, but maybe a cilantro-free rice option and one non-fire-breathing cilantro-less salsa? Furthermore, many restaurants currently have “Low Calorie” and “Gluten-Free” options flagged on their menus. Why can’t we do that with cilantro? Its symbol could be leafy bar of soap and it could clearly mark which items contain cilantro. I can’t even tell you the number of times I’ve ordered something seemingly safe like chicken noodle soup and ended up with a mouthful of death. We cilantrophobes are paying customers just like the gluten-free, dairy free and vegans and I dream of a world in which we too are represented on the menu.
Feature image via New York Times photographer Tony Cenicola
Actually, you can get plain white rice at Chipotle. You have to ak for it and it might take a little longer to get a burrito made (I’ve never had that experience personally, but I imagine it could).
I’ve found that mentioning you have a cilantro allergy will net more response for keeping it out of food. I frequent a local Thai restaurant and told them of my allergy. If I had ordered anything with cilantro in it, they would promptly let me know and I would order something else. It’s been pretty successful No restaurant wants to risk someone going in the anaphylaxis in their restaurant.
Of course, I now actually have an allergy to cilantro, But just a not if you want to make absolutely sure you don’t get any cilantro in your food…
I totally agree about Chipotle! So hard to eat there because of the cilantro
I hate cilantro!! But you can definitely get cilantro-free rice at Chipotle. Just ask for it plain.
I always ask for no cilantro anytime I’m at a Mexican restaurant, no matter what I’m ordering. And I will send something back if it arrives with cilantro and I didn’t know it had it. I feel a little bad, but I figure they would rather make me another plate of food than clean up my vomit.
YES!! i absolutely despise cilantro. the mere taste of it on my tongue makes me want to vomit.
Yes. Cilantro has been the bane of my existence my entire life, and I am thankful to no longer be alone!!
Ewwwww. Cilantro. I get sad when I order Pho and it’s in the broth so I always ask for it without – it seems to ruin the whole dish for me. I, on the hand, love oodles of basil in anything!
This is heart-breaking to read! I LOVE cliantro! I had no idea so many people felt this way about it!
I’ve always been able to order cilantro-less rice at Chipotle. It’s not on the menu but they’re more than happy to do it for you.
That’s so exciting! It’s always super busy when I’m in there so I feel like I have to just hurry down the line, but next time I am definitely asking for cilantro-free brown rice. Thanks for the tip!
The fact that I’m considered “genetically impaired” because I don’t like cilantro sounds ridiculous. Thinking cilantro tastes like soap is actually quite common among people. We’re not “genetically impaired,” we just aren’t make up exactly like the cilantrophiles. Why does that mean there is something wrong with us?
I, being a proud cilantrophobe, did not mean any offense. The tone of the article was meant to be exaggerated and overly dramatic. Perhaps the use of the word “impaired” was too much. Basically I just wanted to make the point that cilantro hate is biological, not high-maintenance.
Finally! I absolutely hate cilantro, and everyone thinks I’m crazy. My mom says she can eat it by itself and love it, every bite. I’d rather eat a stalk of green onions.
I have the same fear of coriander!
coriander is the seed of the same plant. In England they refer to cilantro as coriander.
omg i am so glad i found this!! i hate cilantro.
My Hispanic inlaws think I’m nutty…I’m glad this condition is being brought into the light!
Brown rice now at Chipotle
This just made my day!
I cannot believe what I’m reading! I’ve always disliked cilantro and friends thought I was crazy when I said it tasted like soap. So nice to have some validation!
cilantrophobes unite!
I feel this way about onions and garlic. I, actually, am allergic to these, but people think everyone likes them. No, I don’t. I don’t like having my insides being felt like they are on fire, and I’m pretty sure there are others who feel the same. I actually like cilantro, but I totally know what you mean!