Delhi:
While in India, fight for free coriander leaves with the sabzi walla is an everyday affair, in other parts of the world social media groups are created to express their hatred for this herd. And if you think the viral video of a man hating on coriander leaves is a joke, buckle up your sets because science is here to slap you on the face with a bunch of valid reasons. Aligning to the recent coriander hatred, Professor Russell Keast, who specialises in sensory food science at Deakin University’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, explained as to why there is a love and love relationship for this herb. down to our genetics.
Australians as ever, unflinchingly get right to the heart of the truth #Ihatecoriander pic.twitter.com/N5nJJFTHhC
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) January 8, 2017
Explaining that your liking or hatred for the leaves has to do with the genetics, the professor, writing on the website explained that we have ‘smell receptors in our nose that are responsible for identifying volatile compounds in the atmosphere, including volatile compounds released from potential foods’.
It is hence these small receptors which determine the taste of the coriander when we eat coriander. Depending on the variant of smell receptors a person has, they might experience a chemical-like flavour when they consume coriander, instead of the herby flavour others experience. However, they are ‘highly variable’ between people, so individual perceptions of the herb can differ greatly.
So yes, if you are one among those coriander-hating people note that the hatred springs from smell receptors in your nose.
And in case you are wondering if we desi people are the only dhaniya patta lovers a study conducted by 23andMe, the largest genetic testing company, found only 26 percent of people with European ancestry disliked the herb, while only 12 per cent of people with Asian ancestry did. A further stuidy by BMC also added that only 3 per cent of people from the Middle East dislike the herb.
