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Cilantro is one of the most common herbs in the world, but unlike any other, this little leaf is infamous for it's polarizing love-it-hate-it reaction among foodies.
香菜是世界上最常见的草本植物之一，但与其它植物不同，它的小叶片因为让食客们爱恨交加而臭名远扬。
It's kind of like the Benedict Cumberbatch of taco toppings.
它有点像洒在塔可上作佐料的”卷福”。
Today we're taking a look at why such a poor, innocent leaf can stoke such vitriol from the cilantro-phobes among us.
今天我们就来看看为什么这种不起眼且“清白”的绿叶菜能引发香菜恐惧者的抱怨。
This is coriandrum sativum, an herb whose leaves we've come to know as cilantro, and whose seeds are used as spice commonly called coriander.
这是名叫芫荽的草本植物，它的叶子就是我们熟悉的香菜，其种子通常被称为芫荽籽，主要用作香料。
Its love of warm weather lets it grow all over the world, with the largest exporter being Mexico.
香菜喜暖的特性使其遍布世界各地，其中最大的出口国是墨西哥。
So it's no wonder you're going to find it on these.
这就难怪你经常会在这些墨西哥菜中见到香菜的身影。
This little plant also comes from the same family of aromatics as celery and parsley.
这种小小的植物与芹菜、香芹类似，也来自同一个香料科。
But unlike parsley, which is probably one of the most inoffensive plants out there, cilantro bares the burden of being one of the most divisive herb known to humankind.
但不同于人畜无害的香芹，香菜背负着人类已知草本植物中好恶分歧最大的恶名之一。
Lots of people love its aromatic quality, while others are totally repulsed by it.
很多人喜欢它的香气，而另一些人则完全无法忍受这种气味。
Now every person has a different taste in food, but this cilantroversy is so distinct in the population that it has led scientists to ask whether there is an actual physical difference in cilantro haters.
各人口味各不相同，但这种“香菜味”让人们的反应悬殊如此之大，以至于科学家们不禁发问，讨厌香菜的人是否真的与喜欢香菜的人之间存在客观差异？
It's been estimated that 4-14% of the population can't stand the taste of cilantro, but here's where it gets interesting.
据估算，有4%到14%的人群无法接受香菜的味道。但这才是有意思的地方。
Among that group of haters is a subgroup who literally can't help but hate it - they may have a genetic mutation that makes it so.
在香菜厌恶者群体中有一个亚类，他们真的是从骨子里讨厌香菜，这可能是因为基因突变导致的。
These folks describe the taste of cilantro as soapy or dirt-like, terms that have a bit to do with the kind of smell you get from raw fats, bugs, or cosmetics.
这些人认为香菜的味道如同肥皂水或泥土一般，闻起来有点像生五花肉、臭虫或者化妆品。
And For the rest of us taco lovers, I know this can seem like a huge disgrace, but I'm here to tell you today not to blame your cilantro hating friend for their poor taste - these are matters that might rest far out their hands of control.
而对于我们中的其他塔可爱好者来说，我知道这看上去像一个很丢人的事情，但我今天要跟你们说的是，不要责怪那些讨厌香菜的朋友们品味不佳，事实上他们真的是控制不住自己。
These haters may be coping with a small change in their DNA called a single-nucleotide polymorphism or SNP for short.
他们的DNA里可能发生了一些小小的变化，叫做单核苷酸突变或简称SNP。
Cilantro haters tend to have a different version of an SNP in an area of chromosome 11 directly related to your sense of smell.
讨厌香菜的人往往在直接关系到嗅觉的11号染色体上有不同的SNP。
This region contains the genes for several odor detectors, and the culprit is thought to be OR6A2.
这块区域包含了数个与气味感知器相关的基因，而导致厌恶香菜气味的罪魁祸首被认为是OR6A2。
The rodent version of this gene is known to bind to a cilantro-abundant group of molecules called aldehydes, and common mutations in the gene may change the way OR6A2 detects certain molecules in the aldehyde group, giving people with these genetic changes an altogether different cilantro experience in the rest of us.
目前已经知道，啮齿动物体内的这个基因与香菜内富含的一类叫醛基的分子结合，并且常见的基因突变可能会改变OR6A2感知这类醛基中某些特定分子的方式，结果就导致有这种基因突变的人对香菜的感受与其他人不同。
Aldehydes are cilantro's primary odor-causing compounds.
醛类物质是香菜产生气味的主要化合物。
Two compounds in this group, decanal and dodecanal offer an earthy, sweet, green aroma.
该类物质中的癸醛和十二醛这两种化合物提供的是泥土般甘甜的绿植香味。
But the center of the cilantroversy is found with the (E)-2-Alkenals, which give it that characteristically "soapy" taste.
但构成香菜味的主要物质是反式2-烯醛，就是它让香菜有了肥皂水那样的特殊味道。
That SNP mutation mentioned earlier may cause cilantro haters to experience these (E)-2-Alkenals differently than the rest of us, ultimately making them the dominant flavor of the plant.
之前提到的SNP突变可能会让讨厌香菜的人对于反式2-烯醛的感受与其他人不同，最终将其认定为香菜的主要味道。
But at this point, scientists still haven't discovered the exact mechanism behind the soapy phenomenon.
但目前科学家尚未发现“肥皂水味”现象背后的确切机制。
So when people out there say they hate cilantro, now you know that it might not actually be their fault.
所以如果有人说他们讨厌香菜，现在你就应该知道了，这可能并不是他们的问题。
They may be genetically programmed to taste the stuff of soap!
可能是基因编码导致他们尝出了肥皂水味道！
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