Hope for cilantro-haters

How to get over the disgust

By Culinate staff

April 20, 2010

A few years ago, Sona Pai wrote for us about how strange cilantro can be — how some people adore it, while others can’t stand it. Now food scientist Harold McGee, in his New York Times Curious Cook column, has shredded a few of the same leaves, exploring why this herb is so controversial. Aldehydes, apparently, are the reason why cilantro can smell (and taste) like soap or insects. But, McGee notes, you can retrain your brain to enjoy cilantro — starting with crushing the leaves, which eventually makes the aldehydes non-stinky.