My cilantro plants have a bitter soapy taste. Any ideas and to why this may be? They are planted between basil and lettuce. I have only used water as instructed.
Thank you!
Hey! I think different cultivars have a slightly different taste. The Click & Grow lamp and soil are designed so, that the plants should accumulate healthy and taste related compounds more heavily. This way our spice plants develop a rather strong taste. Usually much stronger than store-bought herbs.
What kind of cilantro are you comparing against?
I personally hate the taste of raw cilantro. It only belongs inside a dish. I think it is the same for sage for example? And even basil is nasty, when eaten leaf-by-leaf.
How old was your Cilantro while harvested? Could it be that your Cilantro was already bolting (going to flower). I have experienced it myself- if Cilantro is aging, the taste is much much stronger and maybe even not pleasant.
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Si hadn’t thought about that… it couldn’t be the that’s I was comparing it’s to store bough. Thanks!
It’s not very old. It’s not flowering or bolting yet…
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How big is your Cilantro? A pic perhaps?
![image|375x500]
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I just noticed that some of the leaves have a darker color on the edge.
looks good!
Cilantro’s taste can depend on genetics. Cilantro contains a natural chemical called aldehydes, aldehydes are common chemicals and are often used in the soap making process. Some people contain a mutation in one of their genes that can make you more sensitive to smelling and tasting the aldehyde in cilantro, giving it a bitter and soapy taste. Thankfully you can acclimate yourself to cilantro, mincing, crushing, or bruising the leaves helps to break down the aldehyde and make the flavour less bitter.
Here is a study that looked into the genetic component of cilantro’s taste https://arxiv.org/abs/1209.2096
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