UPDATE: Frontera has stopped selling this product, as far as I can tell. They switched the shape of the bottle, stopped selling this salsa flavor, and now EVERYTHING has cilantro and/or "spices" in it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
I finally found a salsa that contains no cilantro!
Why am I so excited? Especially considering that I love cilantro?
Well, the reason is that my wife is allergic to cilantro. This sad fact took the two of us several months to determine, but it became quite obvious when I purchased a bunch of fresh cilantro and she put it into a chili that she ate for several meals in a row. She broke out in a red, itchy rash on her neck and chest, and this happens now to a lesser degree whenever she eats something with the fragrant, tasty herb in it.
I say "sad fact" because both of us enjoy the taste of cilantro. There are apparently many people who don't like the taste of it, but for us, it is just because of my wife's allergy that we stay away from it.
And staying away is not easy. Cilantro has become the herb of the decade in restaurant food and any type of prepared grocery store food. Indian food almost always contains cilantro. The Chinese call cilantro "Chinese parsley" and use it liberally.
And Mexican food has cilantro in everything. Especially salsa.
So, for those who don't like the taste of it, or, God forbid, are allergic, take heart. Frontera Kitchen's Red Pepper and Garlic Salsa has no cilantro listed on the ingredients (available at Whole Foods Market). I'll report back later if Tamara starts having reactions to this too.
By the way, cilantro and coriander are from the same plant. Cilantro is the leaves and coriander is the ground-up seeds. My wife is allergic to both.
1 comment:
I also have just started having more serious reactions to cilantro and coriander. It's awful, because I love eating different ethnic foods. I'm going in to be tested, because I heard that there is a connection with allergies to cilantro and to birch pollen and I'm allergic to birch pollen. I am always looking for products that don't contain cilantro or coriander, but it's hard, because usually they just say "spices" on the ingredients list. We tend to eat out quite often and this makes it hard. I'd appreciate if you list any products that you find. Good luck to your wife.
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