{"id":80962,"date":"2025-07-21T15:44:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T15:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/80962\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T15:44:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T15:44:09","slug":"why-does-cilantro-taste-like-soap-and-what-nutrients-does-it-offer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/80962\/","title":{"rendered":"Why does cilantro taste like soap? And what nutrients does it offer?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"play\"<\/p>\n

Countertop garden tips for fresh herbs<\/p>\n

Have fresh herbs in your kitchen at all times with your own countertop garden.<\/p>\n

Problem Solved<\/p>\n

Cilantro is synonymous with recipes that hail from a variety of cultures, adding a citrusy, peppery punch to salsas, chutneys, soups and salads.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the flavor of this versatile herb<\/a> is divisive, to say the least. While most people find cilantro to have a fresh, citrusy flavor, others may perceive the aroma and flavor of cilantro as pungent and bitter. And, if you\u2019re someone who thinks cilantro tastes like soap, we\u2019re here to confirm there\u2019s a simple explanation behind it: your genetics<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From the essential vitamins<\/a> and minerals cilantro contains, to the science behind why some people might have an aversion to it, here\u2019s everything you need to know.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What nutrients does cilantro contain?<\/p>\n

Cilantro is a great source of a few essential nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin K and folate (vitamin B9), all of which are beneficial for heart health, says Lori Welstead, a registered dietitian at University of Chicago Medicine. Vitamin C<\/a>, in particular, contains antioxidant properties that work to neutralize inflammation-inducing free radicals, she says.<\/p>\n

Cilantro also contains a variety of minerals \u2013 many of which you\u2019d see as ingredients in electrolyte drinks \u2013 such as potassium<\/a>, calcium, sodium, magnesium and phosphorus, says Welstead.<\/p>\n

Are you getting enough potassium? <\/strong>And what foods can you get it from<\/a><\/p>\n

Why does cilantro taste like soap?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most people find cilantro to have a vibrant, citrusy flavor, though a small percentage of people have a particular sensitivity to the herb. It\u2019s more than just personal preference \u2013 if you\u2019re someone who finds the taste and smell of cilantro to be particularly soapy or bitter, blame your genetics.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated that cilantro dislike varies somewhere between 3% to 21%<\/a>, with the likelihood largely depending on what ethnocultural group you belong to, according to a 2012 observational study<\/a>. But what\u2019s the science behind it?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cilantro contains natural compounds called aldehydes. These compounds affect the body\u2019s olfactory receptors, which are proteins that play an important role in your sense of smell. There\u2019s evidence to suggest<\/a> some people have a genetic variant in the OR6A2 gene, which causes the olfactory receptors to be hyper-sensitive to the aldehydes found in the cilantro leaves. And while we still don\u2019t fully understand the exact mechanism behind this, some people are more likely to perceive cilantro as having a soapy aroma and flavor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What is meal sequencing? <\/strong>Health experts explain whether the rising diet trend works.<\/a><\/p>\n

Can you overcome cilantro aversion?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re someone with a staunch aversion to cilantro, you might be wondering: Is it possible to overcome cilantro tasting like soap?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The short answer is possibly. There\u2019s some thought that repeated exposure to cilantro could help, but because this phenomenon is likely tied to your genetics, it might not be attainable for everyone.<\/p>\n

There are, however, lots of little ways you can add cilantro into your diet<\/a>, as both a garnish or central ingredient in a recipe. And it can certainly be one of the 30 different types of plants<\/a> you eat throughout the week to support your microbiome, says Welstead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Countertop garden tips for fresh herbs Have fresh herbs in your kitchen at all times with your own…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":80963,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[647,2906,931,6919,3040,990,210,55526,55528,6918,6927,425,993,6930,942,50,1182,1539,450,950,449,6917,6926,55527,448,447,456,1439,16580,646,67,132,68,3149],"class_list":{"0":"post-80962","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-affiliate","9":"tag-agriculture","10":"tag-and","11":"tag-curious","12":"tag-department","13":"tag-food","14":"tag-health","15":"tag-herbs","16":"tag-herbs-u0026-spices","17":"tag-just","18":"tag-just-curious","19":"tag-local","20":"tag-local-affiliate-food","21":"tag-local-affiliate-health-and-wellness","22":"tag-neutral","23":"tag-news","24":"tag-nutrition","25":"tag-of","26":"tag-overall","27":"tag-overall-neutral","28":"tag-point","29":"tag-seo","30":"tag-seo-wellness","31":"tag-spices","32":"tag-the","33":"tag-to","34":"tag-to-the-point","35":"tag-u-s","36":"tag-u-s-department-of-agriculture","37":"tag-u0026","38":"tag-united-states","39":"tag-unitedstates","40":"tag-us","41":"tag-wellness"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114891999074702925","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}