Some people love him, others find him disgusting. He represents globalism and arrogant gourmet hipsters. Is cilantro good?
Versatile to some, soapy to others: coriander Illustration: Imke Staats
sugar
It adds the perfect flavor to spicy tacos at a market stall in Mexico City, a wonderful topping for Madras curry on the Tamil coast, and the perfect seasoning for pho in Hanoi. And because coriander is so polarizing in this country, it’s not just a political issue.
Wrong. The soft green herb is fragrant, fresh and lemony. Ground coriander seeds make the spice mixture shine. It may not be the headliner of the dish, but as we all know, the opening act is often better than the main act anyway. This speaks to the modesty of coriander. It makes a big impact with little resources. He is efficient. However, in Germany, it is also an herb that is often misunderstood and even hated. If some Germans do not like it, he cannot help it.
The scene will be familiar to many readers: the Almans group enters an Asian restaurant and the only thing that makes them sweat more than the chili symbol next to some dishes on the menu is that their dinner With that It’s seasoned. Cilantro? No, thank you. First of all, please make it completely tasteless. Or can’t I just order schnitzel here?
Smartasses would blame this aversion on genetics. A 2012 study in the scientific journal Flavor suggested that the OR6A2 gene may be to blame. People with the so-called “coriander gene” were found to taste the soapy aldehydes in the leaves, the study found. However, there is no significant evidence for this. Another 2012 study published in Flavor suggests instead that our cultural environment is more important.
Either way, things are not looking good for the Germans, because there are a suspiciously large number of people in this country who hate cilantro. And with this, the Germans are once again proving their insularity towards the world. Mexican tacos? Indian curry? Vietnamese pho? None, at least after “authentic” preparation. So Germany remains an exotic wasteland where the culinary culture of Königsberger Klopsen, pretzels, Haribo, etc., is at its peak. And it’s because of genes. Or culture. Maybe both. Nicholas Potter
disadvantage
Karl Konrad Koriander is the name of a mysterious collector of antiquities from Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story, who sends Bastian on a journey of fantasy. It is a respectful and special name that carries a sense of authority. A little poetic, a little strange, and definitely for the uninitiated.
When I was a kid in the 80s, there was no cilantro except in books. For example, parsley was required in soups and sausages sold at the butcher’s, but of course, like everything green back then, I rejected it.
On the other hand, those who love coriander meditate in the morning on a wooden bus mat in an old apartment with minimal furniture, next to an earthenware cup of the finest Pu-erh tea. The singing bowl vibrates, the breath flows, and the chi gently awakens. Then it is time to eat Pho Bo Bowl at the Vietnamese restaurant around the corner. Of course, it is served with a lot of coriander. They are a cosmopolitan and gourmet people who enjoy food at a slow pace. They have discovered the mysterious aroma and meaning of coriander while traveling in Southeast Asia. You are one of the initiates.
On the other hand, I am one of those people who think this green stuff is simply disgusting. The last thing you should do is describe a food as “disgusting.” I don’t think cilantro lovers would do that.
People like me who have to be assigned to the ketchup or maggie team for better or worse are not that subtle. The only thing that works for us is to randomly pour contaminated, industrially manufactured, mass-produced foods on every meal so that you don’t taste anything while you’re swallowing it. The only thing you shouldn’t do is cilantro.
Just a few leaves can contaminate even the most delicious food with a disgusting and pungent mixture of over-fertilized parsley and soap.
But my dislike is not just my immaturity. As my colleague found out from her boyfriend, a biologist, there is a gene that dislikes cilantro. An olfactory receptor with the very common name OR6A2 determines whether cilantro is perceived as soapy water. According to my colleague, it is like asparagus urine. To some people, it smells like asparagus urine, and to others, it does not smell like asparagus urine. Sunny Riddell
