Coriander

[karohemd]

Prompted by zenmeisterin's recent post and various comments I've heard elsewhere, it seems that people either love (e.g. me) or hate (zenmeisterin, puddingcat etc.) coriander (cilantro if you're in the US). Apparently, this is due to a certain genetic trait. If you have that trait, coriandor tastes horrible (soapy) to you, if you don't it tastes fine.

To use the most famous love/hate foodstuff, I wonder if I have a genetic trait that makes marmite revolting to me?

Comments

[claire-smith.livejournal.com]

Oh! Coriander does taste soapy! I'm so glad it's not just me!

I love Marmite though. Mmmmmmm.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Oooh, experiment in the waiting. Maybe it is the same gene?

[vyvyan.livejournal.com]

I like both. But I hate peas.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Damn, that theory didn't last 10 minutes. ;o)

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Some people have it with cucumber too - to most it barely tastes of anything, to others it's very strong and unpleasant. I find it very strong (I can tell if somebody in the building is eating a sandwich with cucumber in) and quite nice, so I'm not sure which camp I'm in.

[tobykenobi.livejournal.com]

I find that out-of-season supermarket cucumbers are soapy and yukky, but in-season fresh organic cucumbers are lovely. I think the main reason is that they're different varieties - the organic one I had had knobbly bits on. I now don't bother with any non-knobbly cuccumer thats served to me (eg in pubs) as I know it'll be below-par.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the first time I had one of those knobbly cucumbers I realised what a real cucumber was supposed to taste like.

[mazzarc.livejournal.com]

I too hate marmite, but love peanut butter... and Diccon is the other way round!

[sea-cucumber.livejournal.com]

People that like grapefruit are supposed to have the relevant bit of their genetic code missing that doesn't let them know how horrible it really is.
I love grapefruit, so I am just a freaky mutation! :)

Marmite is the very work of the devil though. It makes me sick if I have the smallest bit!

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I hate marmite but my sisters both love it. Dunno what that means for the genetics... we all are OK with coriander.

[cabd.livejournal.com]

This is part of my evil plan for world domination.

I think that theres a genetic thing to do with marmite, 'cos loving it or hating it often follows in families. So, a taste receptor... I say clone in the antisense version of the gene into a virus and threaten to release it into the world, thus creating an entire population who hate marmite! Hold the world to ransom, they must pay me one trillion dollars or I will make everyone hate marmite! Muahahahahahaaaaa!!!!!

[jupiter-jones.livejournal.com]

i must admit that i like the way you think :-D

[jupiter-jones.livejournal.com]

hahahahahaha

i had to look marmite up. it is made of yeast extract. exactly what i feed my bacteria. so i am willing to call you more developed than a procaryote :-D

coriander is okay. but i am lacking the like-caraway-gene !! i call myself caraway-negative

[mr-malk.livejournal.com]

Yeast extract is the nice way of saying it. What it was originally, was the black sludgey by-product left over after Bass ale was brewed. The bloke who actually realised that it was a resellable product (to the genetically deficient at least) must have been laughing all the way to the bank.

[devalmont.livejournal.com]

To me, Cardomnmon(sp?) tastes soapy, whereas I love coriander.
Marmite however is the meaty spunk of Satan himself.

[themadone.livejournal.com]

Mmmm...meaty satanic spunk *yums* ;)

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

No it's not, it's the anal leakage of Satan. Do keep up.

[astatine210.livejournal.com]

I find the the smell and flavour of cherries to be utterly disgusting. The smell of punnet of fresh cherries makes me gag in a similar way to the smell of rotting meat. I find the taste of cherries to be pervasive and unpleasant, and I react to it much in the same way I would if someone touched my tongue with soap (It doesn't taste like soap - it just tastes like cherries. It's just that cherry is a nasty flavour to me).

[nannyo.livejournal.com]

hmmmmm coriander+++, also marmite, grapefruit, peanut butter, olives, all DELICIOUS. My dad loves very strong bitter tastes, and I think that's somehow correlated with the marmie and grapfruit love. He's the only person I know who likes REEEEEALLY strong Campari and soda as well.
N.

[puddingcat.livejournal.com]

It must be a recessive gene if it *is* genetic, because neither of my parents dislike it.

[sarahloo.livejournal.com]

Yum! To both Coriander and Marmite.

I have 2 pots of Coriander, which I grew from seed all by myself! *proud* : )

[mattp.livejournal.com]

I love the stuff. I'd heard before that people seem to be fiercely divided, but never knew it was due to a perceived soapy taste.

Oddly, I like twiglets but despise marmite.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Coriander tastes soapy to me, but I really like it.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I assume that is because you had to wash out your mouth so often. ;oÞ

[wyrdness.livejournal.com]

I find coriander nasty. I also loathe marmite. I think there is a similar thing between sprouts/ coffee. I'm sure I remember reading about some kind of enzyme and whether you had it or not meant you found coffee/ sprouts to be unpleasant. I view sprouts with a similar kind of loathing that I do with marmite, but I can't comment on whether or not I like coffee as I've never had any (I've never mastered how to drink hot drinks, so I avoid them entirely instead of burning my tongue repeatedly). I do quite like the smell of it though.

[morgenstern23.livejournal.com]

I wonder if the same goes for vanilla and custard! Even the smell of either of those things makes me gag. (shame my brother forgot about that and bought me a vanilla bath bomb for my birthday! lol)

But, if it does, it must be a recessive gene cos my parents love both!

*loves marmite*

[whiskeylover.livejournal.com]

I really rather enjoy just about all the food listed in this post so far-

I love coriander, particularly fresh, as well as marmite (hot toast, liberally slathered with butter and marmite, mmmhhhhh! Or a slice of toast, spread with marmite, topped with cheddar & a couple of drops of Worcester sauce & then heated under a grill...)