{"id":8783,"date":"2021-03-24T18:04:43","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T22:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/?p=8783"},"modified":"2021-03-24T18:04:43","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T22:04:43","slug":"the-great-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/2021\/03\/24\/the-great-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Do you like cilantro or parsley? It\u2019s not really a debate between which is better, it\u2019s more about preference. I prefer parsley to cilantro. They do look amazingly similar (particularly flat leaf parsley), but the taste of cilantro is different than that of parsley. Whichever herb you choose to use you can\u2019t go wrong. Both are packed with health benefits.<\/p>\n

While both parsley and cilantro are often added as a garnish, parsley is more likely to be incorporated during the cooking of a dish, and cilantro is generally added towards the end of the preparation, keeping the flavor intact. Parsley has a lighter, slightly peppery flavor with just a hint of lemon. Italian, flat leaf, has much more flavor than the curly variety. You\u2019ll find parsley used in Mediterranean and Italian dishes. Cilantro has a more intense flavor of lemon and sage. It\u2019s primarily used in Indian, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Caribbean, Mediterranean, North African, and Eastern European cuisines.\"\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all about taste. Some folks like cilantro and some don\u2019t. It\u2019s a genetic preference that around 14% of the general population find cilantro to have a bad flavor, sometimes described as soapy or like how they imagine crushed bugs would taste! Ewww, yuck! Essentially, some folks are really turned off by the taste. I\u2019m one of those people. I had developed a Pavlovian response to cilantro just by smelling it. When I brushed up to the fresh cilantro at the market, I immediately had a reaction — Stay Away<\/em>.<\/p>\n

My hubby doesn\u2019t like cilantro either, but one of our daughters loves it. (We joke she isn\u2019t really our daughter.) She\u2019s become an accomplished and adventurous cook and has pushed us out of our comfort zones with lots of recipes that include herbs and spices not in my normal wheelhouse. She loves curry, cilantro, coriander and ginger to name a few. Fortunately, like other \u201ccilantro-no-way\u201d folks, I do like coriander, the seed from the cilantro plant. \"\"<\/p>\n

My daughter inspired me to find out if I could do to lessen my intense response to this herb. In my research, I found that most folks were unable to let go of their distaste and yet,\u00a0 a few others found they came to tolerate and even like it.<\/p>\n

A friend suggested that I add a bunch of cilantro to my morning smoothie. My smoothie usually consists of whatever greens we have on hand and fruit. At first I could barely get the smoothie down, but I persevered, day after day. Now I don\u2019t even notice the cilantro and don\u2019t have a reaction to the smell. I seemed to have built up a tolerance!<\/p>\n

Struggling to love cilantro? Try these ideas:\"\"<\/h3>\n