Why Italy Fell Out of Love with Cilantro

Genetics and Perception of Cilantro

• Many comments discuss a genetic variant (often referencing OR6A2) associated with perceiving cilantro as “soapy.”
• Several people report cilantro tasting exactly like dish soap or being overwhelmingly unpleasant, even in tiny amounts.
• Others taste no soap at all, describing cilantro as fresh, fruity, or neutral.
• Some argue the response is more a spectrum than a binary gene effect; intensity and context matter.
• There is debate over whether “stink bug” similarity is the same phenomenon as “soap” taste; some perceive one, some the other, some neither.

Acquired Taste vs Genetic Determinism

• Multiple posters say they initially hated cilantro (soap or bug notes) but grew to tolerate or even crave it with repeated exposure.
• Others say even trace amounts still ruin dishes, suggesting their aversion has not diminished.
• One camp criticizes “genetic destiny” rhetoric as discouraging people from retrying foods; another thinks most people just feel validated, not fatalistic.

Why Italy (and Some Regions) Avoid Cilantro

• Some think the article underplays genetics, arguing taste-disliking elites could have influenced fashion.
• Others say there’s no evidence for population-level genetic shifts; changing culinary trends and status signaling (imported vs native plants) seem more plausible.
• A common thread: cilantro’s “strong” flavor may clash with the refined, clarity-focused profile of Italian cooking, while parsley fits better.
• A few note cilantro persists or resurged in other European cuisines (e.g., southern Portugal) and in immigrant-influenced Italian-American cooking.

Terminology and Regional Use

• In the US, “cilantro” usually refers to leaves and “coriander” to seeds.
• In much of Europe, one word (often “coriander”) covers both, sometimes clarified as leaves vs seeds.
• This causes confusion in cookbooks and cross-Atlantic discussions.

Broader Food and Taste Context

• Comparisons to other genetically influenced or acquired tastes: brassicas, stevia, bitterness, and “supertaster” effects.
• Long digression on how many iconic foods (tomatoes, chilies, potatoes, corn, etc.) are recent imports, and how cuisines are far more modern and fluid than commonly assumed.

Other Side Threads and Skepticism

• One paper claiming cilantro benefits for mental health is challenged as preliminary and over-interpreted.
• Some question the article’s headline, saying it never clearly explains a single “why,” only a mix of fashion, competing flavors, and historical happenstance.