I figured I would get the 'Ingredients' posts started with a certain ingredient that has given me its share of problems: Cilantro.
My relationship with cilantro has been rocky even in the best of times, and I would probably describe it as more of a hate-love dynamic. There was a time when even the slightest taste of cilantro made me want to gag. Worse yet, it so often polluted my favourite Indian, Mexican, and Thai food. I felt justified in my hatred knowing that Julia Child herself told Larry King in 2002 that even she couldn't stand it. After a couple cilantro-free years, I've decided to give it another chance; and although I'm skeptical, I remain optimistic.
Just for fun I did a little Google searching to see what's what. It turns out that cilantro is quite the hated little herb. Just check out these links:
Some try to offer a scientific explanation for all the hate: The Obligate Scientist
The discussion has even made it to the Wall Street Journal!
Reading all the hate propaganda actually had me feeling a little sorry for my ex arch nemesis cilantro. Truth be told I've even started to acquire a bit of a taste for it. Don't get me wrong though, if I can taste cilantro as a main flavor in any dish, I will probably still (ever so subtly of course) spit the food into a napkin and slip it into my pocket for easy future disposal. I have also been known to still meticulously pick it out of pad thai with my chopsticks.
That being said, a LITTLE cilantro in the right place imparts what I would call a 'fresh' taste to a dish. Just this past weekend I had homemade pico de gallo, which I devoured, cilantro and all - and it wasn't even because I was being watched. A little cilantro is really nice in salsa too. It can be added to ground beef for hamburgers or added to soups, salads, curries and marinades. I've even seen a recipe for cilantro ice cream! ... Ok maybe I'll still take a pass on that last one.
GG
A good pico de gallo can change anyone's mind! I heart Cilantro. x Ophelia
ReplyDelete...as for all the haters, beware of coriander! it may sound like an improvement, but it is in fact the SAME herb.
ReplyDeleteYup, a little detail I left out! In North America the leaves are generally known as cilantro and the seeds coriander
ReplyDeleteGG
I don't actually understand the comment by Laura. Coriander (as in seeds) tastes nothing like the leaves and is perfectly fine even for someone who has a gag reflex when smelling the green parts of the plant.
ReplyDeleteThus, coriander actually is better, even if the same herb. Just gotta make sure that ther person using the word coriander indeed refers to the seeds.