I’m not at all clued up on herbs and suchlike, but almost as soon as I arrived in Thailand I noticed that there is one type of herb that seems to make its way into around half of all the meals I eat. I’ve never been able to describe to anybody what this herb is, but it’s everywhere, and I hate it. It makes me physically gag and puts me off whatever food it has been cooked in. To be polite, I find that I have to eat it rather often. Just yesterday it turned up on some meatballs-on-sticks; last week it was used in one of those small, folded over, taco-like things that have cream in the middle.

I imagine if I took a Thai cooking class I’d learn all about this herb, but I have a suspicion that, after two years of eating it, I’ve finally worked out what it is. Step up cilantro, which could be the most vile substance known to man. Apparently it’s a bit like Marmite, in that you either love it or you hate it, and it is used in a lot of Thai dishes. This must be it, right? Well, it’s horrible, and it makes a perfectly good bowl of noodles taste like washing up liquid. I don’t understand how people can eat it without feeling like throwing up.

I’m not alone, and it was actually because of the website, IHateCilantro.com, which I stumbled upon (I took the “Ban Cilantro” pic from their site), that I started to learn a bit more about this herb of Satan. It’s a member of the carrot family, of all things, and it’s also known as Chinese parsley and coriander. It is used in many Mexican and Asian dishes, and the chopped leaves are said to add zest to curries.

I could be mistaken here, and the herb that I actually hate may be something else entirely, but judging from other peoples’ responses to it (“I can’t stand this overpowering soapy substance,” said one user of IhateCilanto.com) I think I’ve found what I’m looking for.

Ban Cilantro!Techno’ tags: Bangkok, Thailand, Thai food, Herbs