There is a deep rift running through the heart of Australia. It’s not the divide between who is better Sydney or Melbourne (melbourne of course), but the ongoing battle between coriander lovers and those who can’t stand the stuff.
Coriander is a pungent annual herb that grows in warmer climates across the world. Other names include Chinese parsley and dhania.
While the entire plant is edible, most people eat either the fresh leaves or the dried seeds, which are ground into a powder. Coriander is a popular staple as both an herb and a spice throughout Asia, Europe, Africa, Americas and Austrlia.
As with many other traditional spices, seasoning food with ground coriander is a natural preservative. The seeds contain phytochemicals that delay spoiling.
As a spice, coriander tastes sweet, citrusy, and mildly peppery. The flavor profile of fresh coriander, however, is more controversial …
Coriander: Love It or Hate It?
Those who love coriander say it’s refreshing and tangy. Those who hate it—and this latter group is pretty outspoken, even going so far as to having their own International "I hate Coriander" day and websites like https://ihatecoriander.org/—say it tastes like soap or bugs.
Is There A Scientific Reason Why You Hate Coriander?
Prior to there being more pressing problems in the world for them to sort out, scientists discovered the cause behind this intensely partisan debate. People who can’t stand coriander are probably genetically predisposed to hate it.
There are a number of chemical compounds that come together to make up corianders flavor. People who love the herb can taste and smell a wider range of them, say, geneticists, while coriander haters, because of how their smell and taste receptors work, are only able to taste unpleasant bitterness.
Good News: Coriander Is Good For Your Health
Love it or hate it, coriander is great for your health. For one thing, it’s packed with dietary fiber, which can reduce bad LDL cholesterol and raise good HDL cholesterol, and in inflammation- and cancer-fighting antioxidants.
It’s also rich in minerals like potassium, which helps to control heart rate and blood pressure, calcium for strong bones, and iron for red blood cell production, among others.
So which one are you!