To wonder whether or not coriander tastes a little soapy to everyone?

[someladdersandsnakes]

I know about the 'coriander tastes like soap gene' and I know people with that who can't tolerate any bit of coriander in their food, it makes them sick etc. When you read about that online the explanation is that people with this gene hate coriander so much because the gene makes it taste like soap. But I'm happy to eat coriander and also think it tastes like soap? Like I don't think it's a BAD flavour, it's just soapy. So do I have the gene but somehow don't despise coriander for some reason? Or is it slightly soapy for everyone and people with the gene taste it significantly more strongly. What does coriander taste like to you, if it doesn't taste like soap?

Whaaat? They are so bloody good. The only reason people aren't eating them as much is because they cost £53 a bag.

I read that 20% of people find coriander repulsive, I don't and I use it quite regularly. Grapefruit makes me gag, but my daughter loves it.

It is definitely a thing.
If they are that expensive I am glad I find them awful

I avoid it at all costs as the soapiness overpowers everything else and ruins the meal completely.

I love coriander but Rosemary I cannot eat and just tastes like soap to me- never understand how people can roast potatoes in the stuff!

If you're gathering evidence to test your hypothesis: as said above, I love coriander and it doesn't taste soapy to me but I can smell asparagus wee.

I don't detect anything soapy but I still don't like coriander very much. I'll eat it but I find it a bit bitter and pointless.

Isn't it supposed to be a genetic thing? Some people find it soapy others dont.

I love it but DDH hates and says it tastes of soap.

Huh well I’m the opposite - hate coriander and don’t think it tastes like soap at all. Gross, but not soap.

Slightly fragrant spinach.

Pin nuts taste very burnt to me, I couldn't understand how people were happily eating them. Thankfully they seem to be less popular these days

why 'happily', just because you dont like them?

It tastes like overpoweringly strong soap with a strange musty hint to me and I can detect the tiniest amount in a dish.

Weirdly dh has the same soap taste but the kids are ok with it and say it tastes sort of like parsley. Genetics are strange.

I absolutely hate it. Tastes like detergent.

I get no hint of a soapy taste.

Same here 🤢

Love the stuff and happily add it salads. Never had a hint of soapy taste either. All of us eat as do my parents.

I detest coriander and shudder every time a dish is served to me and there is blooming coriander in it. Every single salsa - f*** ruined! 🤢 Pret sandwiches - won’t touch them with a barge pole as most of them have this vile stuff sprinkled in between the filling. It doesn’t taste remotely soapy to me, more like rust shavings. Not that I have ever eaten those but still…

On the other hand, I adore parsley.

I accidentally bit into a beetle once, while in an apple orchard. To me, coriander tastes EXACTLY like that, the vile spawn of a devil's garden. Should be exorcised from any cookbook.

Not my fave spice/herb, whatever it is. Has a pungently floral bouquet that always reminds me of the smell some South Pacific bug left on my shirt as a kid when I nearly caught it after it landed on me.

Bug smell took a lot longer to get rid of though and did also contain slight notes of WD40 as I remember...

Agree regarding contamination. The first phrase I learned in Thai was "no coriander please."

I'm generally not fussy, and I love all herbs. I'll happily munch on fresh parsley just as a snack. Except coriander! It tastes strongly of soap to me, even a little bit will spoil a whole dish to me. I'm a litte curious, too - it must taste different to other people. Nobody could possibly love the flavour I'm tasting. There are foods I don't exactly love but will eat anyway, and then there's coriander. Coriander doesn't even taste edible to me.

I think 'soapy' means different things to different people. Coriander leaves, to me, tastes repellent. More like a strong floor cleaner or a bathroom spray than soap, really. A weird, chemical sort of taste, like food that's been contaminated with something.

By contrast, I love Turkish delight, Parma violets and lavender biscuits, which I also hear a lot of people describe as tasting soapy. To me, they taste floral and delicate.

Weirdly, ground coriander tastes absolutely fine. It's just the fresh leaves that are utterly rank to me.

I'm not a fussy eater at all - there are only really two foods that I absolutely hate, and coriander leaves is one of them. The other is raw tomatoes, which I also think have a chemical, non-foody taste. Cooked tomatoes are fine though.

It's weird that I can happily eat anything, including things that lots of people think are totally gross, but gag at a raw tomato or a sprig of coriander.

I like coriander but American chocolate tastes like puke to me - can't understand the popularity of US confectionery.

I'm another one who finds coriander tastes of soap - only the fresh leaves, however, not coriander seed. As for American chocolate "The perception that American chocolate tastes "like sick" can be attributed to the presence of butyric acid in some American chocolate recipes.
Butyric acid is a compound found in milk products and is also present in rancid butter and vomit, which is why it might evoke a "sick" taste association.
Some American chocolate manufacturers add butyric acid during production to give the chocolate a longer shelf life." https://www.whitakerschocolates.com/blogs/blog/why-does-american-chocolate-taste-bad