Why on earth do some people 'just don't like the smell of cilantro'?
Some people love coriander and want to add it to any dish, while others say it smells like stink bugs and they can't eat it. A DNA testing company has discovered that there is a genetic difference in why people are divided into people who like or dislike coriander.
Cilantro Love and Hate: Is it a Genetic Trait? - 23andMe Blog
Why do some people think cilantro tastes like soap? | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/health/food-diet/why-do-some-people-think-cilantro-tastes-like-soap
It is common for some people to like the same food and others to dislike it, and many of them experience the same taste. A typical example of this is chili peppers; everyone feels the stimulation of spiciness, but whether or not they like it depends on the person.
However, in the case of cilantro, a large-scale study by the DNA testing company 23andMe revealed that the taste of cilantro differs depending on the gene that identifies the flavor.
First, the 23andMe research team surveyed thousands of people about their cilantro preferences and identified several
One of them encodes an olfactory receptor called OR6A2, which specifically binds to the aldehyde that gives cilantro its distinctive flavor. Some aldehydes are described as 'fruity and green,' while others have a 'pungent, soapy odor.'
The 23andMe study also found that the preference for cilantro is likely to be inherited and varies by ethnicity. Specifically, the percentage of people who dislike cilantro because it tastes like soap is about 14% among Ashkenazi Jews living in Europe, about 13% among people from Southern Europe and Northern Europe, and about 13% among African Americans. This was compared to about 9% of people and Latinos, compared to about 8% of East Asians and 4% of South Asians.
Regarding this, John Hayes, a food scientist and taste expert at Pennsylvania State University, says, ``Cultures that don't often perceive cilantro as having a soapy taste may be more likely to use cilantro in cooking.'' said.
In English-speaking countries, the flavor of cilantro is often described as ``soapy,'' but before this expression became popular, it was said to have a ``bug-like smell.'' According to a September 2023 study that discussed cilantro and food culture, a botanical dictionary published in 1997 explains that ``When fresh cilantro is crushed, it emits an unpleasant odor similar to bed bugs or stink bugs.'' It is said that.
Coriander is not the only case where taste is influenced by genes. For example, genetic mutations in the olfactory receptor ``OR7D4'' make people sensitive to the hormone androstenone. Therefore, people with this mutation may experience a strong odor when eating meat from uncastrated male pigs.
TAS2R38 is a taste receptor that determines whether you like bitter vegetables such as kale and Brussels sprouts, or beer with a bitter taste from hops, and taste receptors that determine whether you like grapefruit, quinine, or saccharin. body 'TAS2R31' etc.
People's likes and dislikes of cilantro are strongly influenced by innate and ethnic factors, but it is possible to get used to it as they come into contact with it many times. “Biology is not destiny,” Hayes said.
A forum related to this article has been set up on the GIGAZINE official Discord server. Anyone can write freely, so please feel free to comment!
• Discord | “Do you like cilantro?” dislike? ' | GIGAZINE
https://discord.com/channels/1037961069903216680/1171015400771817542
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