Cilantro has long been the whipping boy of herbs, a notorious and divisive flavor that a sizable population would gladly exterminate from the Earth. Those cilantro-sensitive buds reside in the U.S., while their U.K. counterparts unite under the banner of coriander hating; for those unversed in herb scholarship, they are the same thing.
Facebook’s “I Hate Coriander” page is a U.K.-made hub of haters and complainers. Apparently based across the pond, these 77,500-plus folks grouse that their mums bought coriander, grumble when they find it in their curry, and post many a photo containing the offending herb and a middle finger. There are even a few videos, including a rather anticlimactic clip of the offending herb getting run over by a slow-moving car, and an emphatic flushing of fresh coriander down a toilet (followed, in page-appropriate mores, with a middle finger).
The haters would do well to remember that coriander (again, cilantro) is not only an essential ingredient in curry, but also in classic Weiss beers. Blue Moon, Hoegaarden, and Allagash White—along with every other true Weiss—would lack that distinct Weiss flavor were it not for coriander.
And even if you don’t see or outright taste the coriander/cilantro in your curry, it’s very likely the seed is there, acting as a bridge between the cumin and the ginger, taking the thin, sharp edge off of hot peppers without mitigating their middle flavors and heat. The “I Hate Coriander” group seems primarily focused on the leaf, which does after all come from the all-important seed (also critical for canning and pickling). Of course, the leaf is essential in salsas and yogurt side dishes. But if you really can’t appreciate all that coriander does for the culinary and beer-brewing worlds, head over to “I Hate Coriander” and hate with your people.
[via The Daily Dot]