Cilantro didn't always taste like soap

Cilantro is one of the most polarizing foods out there - but why? And what do stinkbugs have to do with anything?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆-𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆:

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 (𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲) 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀:

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀:

𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰:
-Angela Lovero, Entomologist at the New Jersey State Department of Agriculture
-Dr. Don Weber, Research Entomologist at the USDA Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory
-Dr. Linda Bartoshuk, Bushnell Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Florida

𝗔 𝗛𝗨𝗚𝗘 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗯𝘂𝗴 𝘀𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀:
Stephen, Hannah, Donna, Jessica, Janet, Sarah, Ben, Benji, Kiley, Brian, Cheryl, Paige, Aurelio, Scott, Carrie, Austin, Bodhi, Maddux, Mary, Tiffany, Joe, Erin, Nicki, Toshi

MinuteFood is created by Kate Yoshida, Arcadi Garcia & Leonardo Souza, and produced by Neptune Studios LLC.

[MinuteFood]

Come join us at come join us at patreon.com/Minutefood! You'll get access to gorgeous printables, discount merch codes, early access to our videos, fun polls and conversations - and, right now, some great outtakes from this bug-tastic video!

[Pfhorrest]

You asked if they would send you some stinkbugs "...aaaand crickets". For a moment I was wondering "what do you want the crickets for?" before I realized you meant that as a euphemism for silence, not that you had actually requested they send you crickets in addition to stinkbugs.

[AltayHunter]

This video is so vindicating! Back when we were overrun with invasive stinkbugs I kept telling people that they smell exactly like cilantro and no one believed me.

[Qwerbey]

When I first had a dish with noticeable cilantro, I honestly thought the cook forgot to rinse the pot

[mtardibu]

This is incredibly validating. I told my wife that cilantro tastes like bitterness and soapiness, but then I can never tell when she put cilantro in her soups. I didn't know cutting it and cooking it would tame the soapy taste.

[onewholovesvenison]

Thank you for mentioning that we WANT to be able to enjoy cilantro. We’re not just contrarians or people who “hate flavor”

[lodewykk]

Stink bugs smelling like cilantro and people liking it is one of life’s greatest plot twists to me. I still have shell shock from smelling a stink bug as a kid.

[yawnberg]

April 1st on YouTube is frustrating. I honestly wasn't sure it was a legit video until almost halfway in.

[disjustice]

I am a soap taster and I couldn't stand cilantro when I first encountered it 30 or so years ago... But over time, it grew on me and now I love it. I barely register it as "soapy" anymore.

[fungushoney]

FINALLY SOMEONE MENTIONED THE BUGS!! The weird part is though I'm an enjoyer of cilantro and I eat it all the time, except for a year or two following a terrible stinkbug encounter in my kitchen. The body after it's dead doesn't hold a candle to what a bug that feels under attack can do to all the air in a room. The Aldehyde of duality, capable of great pleasure and great pain.

[grey_emi]

OMG you recreated my EXACT experience! Years ago, a stink bug flew onto my face so of course I freaked out and slapped it, which crushed it. Right under my nose. It was like I had just snorted a cilantro smoothie into my sinuses. Horrible! And yes, I am a cilantro hater (tho, as noted in your vid, I wish I weren't.) Prior to that experience, I described cilantro's scent as a combo of soap and bad BO, but since that time my go to has been "crushed stink bug". THANK YOU for making this video, I don't think you can adequately imagine my feelings of VINDICATION! I am sharing this immediately with everyone I know, whatever their position on cilantro. You just gained a subscriber!

[abtinbarzin]

Gotta be real, as an invasive ecology undergrad currently taking a class in entomology, this thumbnail was a shock and a half. Partly because I was confused at the topic, partly because I was surprised that I actually recognized the species on sight (you used a very clear and well defined image, which helped a lot).

[olivetree]

My description for cilantro has always been "it tastes like stinkbugs smell" and I feel validated

[internetshaquille]

Idk how it happened but I tasted the soap just ONCE, a few years ago. It made the food totally inedible, so I sympathize with those who have that sensation all the time

[mcchuggernaut]

Your advice to substitute Coriander (Ground Cilantro seed, especially fresh ground) was life-changing! I get the flavor I desire out of it when mixing a bit of it into a nice Mexican dish, without that cloying soapiness I taste from fresh Cilantro. I also enjoy the chopped stems a lot more than the leaves.

[momomunsta]

When I was a kid, just opening the crisper and getting a whiff of the smell would make me gag. After eating small amounts of it for years (mom’s cooking)I eventually adjusted and now it tastes like a sugary, refreshing, and citrus herb. Thanks mom

[ibigfire]

Buglike is *way* more accurate of a way to describe cilantro to me than soap. Thank you!

[silentben]

I'm a soap taster, but that disposition has never stopped me from eating cilantro for some reason. I love Mexican food too much to avoid it, even when making it myself at home.

[joshuaychung]

This is awesome. We had an Easter brunch yesterday where we spent good 15 minutes arguing whether the stink bugs (nasty invasive bugs in northern Illinois these days) smell like cilantro. I think the stink bugs smell like cilantro but nastier. I just forwarded this video link to everyone at the brunch yesterday. Of course, some think MinuteFood is listening to our conversations, and MinuteFood is really the AI overlord that we've been afraid of. For me, personally, I'd welcom MinuteFood as the benevolent overlord.

[improvwithlions]

Thanks for explaining what cilantro is supposed to taste like. I know some people learn to tolerate/like it, but it ruins a dish for me so much that trying to mitigate it with the methods you mentioned would be way too risky. I have noticed that seeds don't give me the same issues though, sauces/spice mixes that include them are miraculously edible. I'm glad to have some validation on that.