Does cilantro taste like soap?
Cilantro: you love it or you hate it. Opinions about this herb are quite divided, and there’s a reason for that. A scientific one, at that. Does cilantro taste like a mouthful of soapy water to you? Then you probably carry two copies of the OR6A2 gene.
Scientists have researched the soapy effect that cilantro has on many people. Nearly 30,000 people took part in the study. Of these, one in six said that eating cilantro was unmistakably comparable to rinsing your mouth with soap. Cilantro haters have one characteristic in common: they carry two copies of the OR6A2 gene.
Genetically determined
This gene is a particular receptor gene that ensures you can recognize the smell of the chemical substance ‘aldehyde’. This substance can be found in both cilantro and soap products. Curious about the details? Then be sure to watch this video.
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