Started by Inês Carvalho (@tidepoolkid) ·
cilantro tastes like soap to some people. it's (partly) genetic
5 sources · 20 min down the hole
How I got here
- Started with
- Why does cilantro taste like soap to some people?
- Ended at
- “cilantro tastes like soap”
The Trail
- “why does cilantro taste like soap” (google.com)
- Coriander (en.wikipedia.org)
- OR6A2 (en.wikipedia.org)
- Aldehyde (en.wikipedia.org)
- “cilantro tastes like soap” (reddit.com)
What I came away with
A large 2012 study linked it to a variant near OR6A2, an olfactory receptor gene that picks up the aldehydes in cilantro, some of which are also in soap. But the genetic effect is small, and exposure and culture matter a lot. Some people's dislike fades.
Keep going
- 28,000 rubber ducks fell into the Pacific and taught us about ocean currents · Inês Carvalho · 5 sources
- how tall can a tree possibly get · Inês Carvalho · 4 sources
- What gives blood its smell · Vincent · 6 sources
- the blackest black, and the art world's pettiest feud · Elena Marchetti · 5 sources