Monday, April 4, 2011

Cilantro: A Public Service Announcement

IT IS OKAY TO HATE CILANTRO.

I felt like I needed to make a statement after I realized I just posted an "authentic" Mexican recipe without any cilantro in it. Mexican recipes always call for cilantro, in magazines. Cilantro is touted as the awesomest herb since sliced parsley, and whole fistfuls of it are normally included in green sauces like my green chile enchilada sauce.

I hate cilantro and I will not allow it in my kitchen.

For a long time, I thought I was just weird, or somehow uncultured or uncouth, because I didn't like cilantro. But it turns out that I'm not alone. Many other people hate cilantro, too, and that is okay.

IT IS OKAY. It's okay not to enjoy an herb. It's okay to be you!!

That doesn't quite solve the herb problem. When making Mexican foods, I always substitute a combination of coriander and oregano for cilantro. Coriander is the seed from the cilantro plant, and doesn't have the same soapy taste (at least not to me). Oregano is actually an authentic Mexican ingredient than many American recipes forget about, so you're actually being true to the recipe's roots by using it. If you need to add a "fresh" flavor, try a squeeze of lime. It will be good!

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