Cilantro is a well-known plant for its traditional medicine usage as well as for its foods flavoring properties. However, a not very known fact regarding Cilantro is that some people hate it for no reason while others love it unconditioned. All that happens because there’s a link between your DNA and Cilantro.
The American Chemical Society’s Reactions has presented in a new video that behind the no-reason hate some people feel against Cilantro is a DNA malformation that makes some herbs smell like soap for the people affected by the mutation. More specifically, the Chromosome 11, also known as OR6A2, which is linked to the sense of smell is guilty of the Cilantro hate.
Scientists have noted that two of the four molecules that form the smell of Cilantro are differently distinguished by those suffering from the mutation on the Chromosome 11.
No strong evidence has been discovered in this regard, however.
On the other hand, a large genetic survey conducted on 30,000 men and women brought some light on this theory.
Researchers split the subjects into two groups and asked different questions to each group. The first group was asked if Cilantro smells soapy, while the second group was asked if Cilantro smells like a herb.
As a result, those who had OR6A2 gene mutations disliked the smell of Cilantro.
Another study on the Cilantro-hate situation noted that the hate for Cilantro is not spread equally around the world. Therefore, in places where Cilantro has been used for centuries as a spice in foods the percentage of Cilantro’s haters is lower than in the population of the places where Cilantro is newly introduced in dishes.
In conclusion, OR6A2 gene’s mutations may really be involved in hating Cilantro’s smell for no reason. The question that may be raised now is what if the same gene is responsible for the hate for other plants with a powerful smell? Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for more studies in this regard.
