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Why to hate cilantro?
Do you believe this? That innocent, good looking, fragrant, medicinal and culinary herb is hated by millions of people? Cilantro is popular herb in Asian and Mexican dishes. It belongs to same family as parsley.
Seeds of cilantro commonly known as coriander seeds play important role in preparing masala spice powder for Indian curry.
It is added to curry, salad and as a seasoning herb for many Mexican dishes.
Why people hate cilantro?
If you search you will find “I hate cilantro” fan websites and gives you the reason for hating herb. According to a study conducted by University of Toranto, Canada love and hatredness towards Cilantro depends on ethnicity. Majority of Hispanics and Indians love cilantro as it is one of the key ingredient of their cuisine.
Whereas, many African decedents and Caucasians does not seem to have liking for it. Cilantro aroma is because of mainly one chemical compound the aldehyde. Coriander seeds also has glands called vittae that produce aldehyde oil.
This fragrance that most people like is hated by millions because, for them it gives off a soapy smell and flavor.
Recent studies by consumer genetics firm 23andMeIt suggests that it is all in our DNA and our olfactory gene OR6A2 encodes receptors to make cilantro smell like soapy, hand lotion or bedbug smell or the way cilantro haters feel. And it is called Cilantrophobe genetics.
Cure for this? Take baby steps – add little by little of cilantro in dishes.
We saw poor cilantro.. now it is mushroom turn. Why people hate it?
Well, you can see the benefits of various types of mushrooms in this article here in your road to healthy life.
However, the reasons to hate mushroom are:
People know they are fungus – available in big form
Structure of mushroom – especially the gills, spores and stalk. Some look like mini brains, half kidney
Earthy taste and associated dirt
Appearance of mushroom – slimy and weird bulb
Mushroom does not taste anything unless you coat them with spice and oils
Unpleasant appearance when added to food
Looks like they are not bathed for years! When mushroom go bad they really look bad
How to include mushroom? Probably cut mushrooms to small pieces and add to dishes. Educating oneself about the wonderful benefit of mushroom can reduce the degree of disliking.
Fennel is a wonderful herb known for its culinary benefits. It is a popular herb in many cuisines in the world.
But again, there are fennel haters or fennel phobia that we can see amongst us.
Health benefits of fennel:
Digestive problem – acid reflux, gas, bloating, loss of appetite, cough, bronchitis, backache, vision problem, bedwetting, colic in infants – for all these conditions fennel is a good remedy.
Why people hate fennel?
Fennel leaves and seeds both taste almost same. The fennel seed bitterness can be harsh for many. Taste is like anise and somewhat like black licorice. Most of the use of fennel is in the seed form. It has produces strong aroma and enhances flavor of any food. This aroma that gets into the taste bud and the system is what makes people unhappy. People who hate fennel also dislike licorice. Because they have same smell and annoying taste that lasts longer.
How to use fennel? Use fennel bulb in salad – cut into small pieces and add to salad. If you dislike its seeds, then make powder and add it in little quantity in your food. This way it can escape your taste bud!
Image credit: Image by M W from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)
Brussels sprouts looks like mini cabbages and sadly one of the most hated vegetables by kids in US.
The name originated from Belgium’s city Brussels for this beautiful and healthy vegetable.
It provides good amount of fiber and has all those goodies just like other green leafy vegetables.
Why people hate Brussels sprouts?
The odor is what makes it infamous vegetable. It belongs to cabbage family and has a chemical called phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) which tastes bitter to people who have a variation of a certain gene. Study conducted by Cornwall College (2011) revealed that the gene that controls the taste sensitivity namely TAS2R38 gene. This gene helps interlocking protein with PTC and gives bitterness to tongue.
Cooking Brussels sprouts releases sulfur compound and the more cooking of this vegetable leaves more sulfur aroma.
How to include Brussels sprouts in diet? Cut it into half and put olive oil, sprinkle salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder and roast it in medium heat.
A survey conducted in Japan in 2011 revealed that eggplant is the most hated vegetable by kids.
It is an excellent source of fiber, magnesium, potassium and contains good amount of antioxidants to fight against diseases.
Why people hate good eggplant?
Most people hate it because the outside look does not reconcile with the inside look. It is purple and seems to be hard outside and inside it has mushy structure.
People does not know how to cook it – it smashes and makes a mess while cooking.
If does not cooked properly, it is like spongy and chewy and can be tasteless or bitter flavor.
People also feel before and after cooking a slimy texture
Cooking eggplant with cheese and other vegetables makes its texture bit more odd.
How to make it delicious?
Slice and oven roast eggplant with little chilli powder, turmeric, salt and sprinkle oil. Baking for 25 to 30 mins at 400 F makes it bit tastier. If you add water to eggplant while cooking it becomes more mushy. Instead add little oil and less water.
Image credit: https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-qjtmp (Free for commercial use)
During our visit to vegetable market, we tend to ignore a root vegetable and that is nothing but turnip.
Turnips are one of the oldest root vegetable on earth.
Turnips are source of Vitamin A, K and folate. They also contain Vitamin C.
It is a wonderful vegetable, still people hate it for following reasons.
It is hard to get to the bitter taste.
It contains a compound namely cyanoglucoside that gives a strong odor to it and some people are sensitive to this chemical.
They don’t get crisp and becomes tender and gives odd odor
Turnips are not like carrots or potato. There is nothing sweet in it!
Texture of turnips is not appealing to eat.
How to include turnip in your diet?
Try simple recipes and mix with other vegetables. Mash it (like puree) with carrot, potato and add salt. Prepare mashed 3 vegetable simple dish with butter and cream. This is one way to eat it. There are many such recipes available on internet and people who used to hate turnip now include it in their diet!
Image credit: https://www.deercreekseed.com/ (seed service company)
Not everyone is a fan of spinach like Popeye. Every time to gain strength Popeye used can of spinach and spinach came into limelight.
Fresh, green, leaf vegetable with all good characters – still spinach is one the most hated vegetable.
We all know what nutrition quality and benefit we get by eating spinach.. It is low in fat and even lower in cholesterol. It is high in niacin and zinc, as well as protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese.
Abundant flavonoids in spinach act as antioxidants to keep cholesterol from oxidizing and boosts immune system.
Why hate spinach?
Dark color and texture
Soft leaves
Dirt or rubbery taste
Cooked spinach release kind of odor that is not appealing for many
It does not have a taste like cauliflower, carrot or beans!
It has pungent odor similar to broccoli and Brussels sprouts!!
Some feel that spinach has woody odor to it.
How to get used to spinach?
If you cannot stand raw spinach then, make spinach fritters, prepare spinach soup with tomato, onion, ginger and butter. Make Indian spinach curry with lentil (daal) – there are different ways to eat spinach.
Another healthiest vegetable is Broccoli. It contains Vitamin C, A and antioxidants that can prevent cancer.
Good dietary fiber it supplies to system and helps to reduce weight.
It is a superfood. Still why people don’t like broccoli? Especially kids in majority does not like broccoli and it is villain vegetable for kids.
Reasons for disliking Broccoli:
Like other crucifer members, it also gives some bitterness when cooked
Strong odor and the odor lasts longer
It has glucosinolate compound -It contains Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) which binds with the olfactory gene to give a bitter taste to taste buds. As per the studies on an average about 70% of population can taste something bitter with PTC. People who have two such genes are about 20% and they really hate broccoli. Scientists have shown that the gene hTAS2R38 makes these vegetables as bitter and horrible.
How to include broccoli in diet? If eating broccoli raw is difficult, try baking it with other vegetables. Steaming makes broccoli give more odor. So, avoid steam cooking broccoli. Instead, bake with some olive oil, salt, chilli powder, turmeric (if you want some spice).
