DNA Testing Can Tell You If You Will Hate Cilantro
If you've never tasted cilantro, there is a pretty even chance you may love it or hate it. The green leafy herb tastes either bright or soapy depending on who you're asking. Luckily, DNA testing company 23AndMe can now test your genetics to see whether or not you're predisposed to hating the popular South Asian and Latin American ingredient.
Your taste for cilantro is not all the test will tell you. According to the site website, the new 23AndMe Health & Ancestry package will tell you what time you're most likely to wake up in the morning without an alarm, the thickness of your hair, your likelihood to develop a unibrow, your carrier status for various genetic diseases, your sensitivity to sound, and more. A sample report from the brand breaks down how your results are calculated.
"We looked at a place in your DNA that affects your chances of being able to detect a certain bitter chemical called "PTC," observed the sample. "Some vegetables like raw broccoli and brussels sprouts, contain bitter chemicals similar to PTC. Your combination of variants at this marker is usually found in people who are unable to detect these bitter chemicals."
Although it may appear that 23AndMe's new health and ancestry package is revolutionary, the science behind the predisposition to love or hate cilantro has been around for a while. According to a 2012 study by Cornell, those of Ashkenazi Jewish and northern and southern European descent were most likely to find the taste of cilantro to be "soapy" or "dirty" due to an olfactory receptor gene called "OR6A2." Having the gene either dominantly or recessively affects how cilantro tastes to you. That's why some people put it in their guacamole and why some people order their tacos without it.
The Daily Meal has reached out to 23AndMe for a quote.
The genetic testing kit is available online at 23AndMe.com for $199. If you still want to try cilantro for yourself, it's a fantastic addition to many of these 50 salads for spring and summer.