There’s hope for those who intensely dislike coriander: Peruvian black mint is the new herb on the block…

I might as well come clean now: I hate coriander. I hate everything about it: its detergent-like scent, its gut-wrenching flavour and the fact that the words “Asian”, “Thai” or “herb” in any UK restaurant now seem to be a euphemism for the presence of a tonne of the stuff on your plate. And I am not alone. Despite being consistently voted the UK’s favourite herb, the strong love or hate reactions it elicits are down to genetics.

Along with around 12-20% of the population, I possess a mutation of the OR6A2 gene, which causes me to perceive an aldehyde chemical in coriander leaves. The effect is that I don’t find them “fresh” or “citrusy” to taste, as others often describe – in fact, to me they’re bleach-like and metallic, like the scent of drain cleaner. If coriander is your culinary kryptonite too, it’s possible your aversion to the stuff is also hard-wired into your genes, explaining its eternally divisive effect at dinner parties.

But there is hope. If you, or anyone you cook for, is condemned to a life of picking the stuff off their plates, there is a herb out there which might be your salvation: Peruvian black mint (Tagetes minuta). The soft, lacy leaves of this Andean relative of the marigold have a bright, fresh, intensely aromatic fragrance – like a perfect Venn diagram overlap of zesty citrus, cooling peppermint and fruity pineapple.

In the Andes, where it is known by its indigenous name, huacatay, it’s commonly used in exactly the same way as coriander – stirred through ceviche, scattered over chicken or fish dishes and chopped into soups and stews. In fact, according to my coriander-loving mates, it has an extremely similar flavour, just with a distinctive tropical fruitiness (their words). Finally a coriander substitute the rest of us can enjoy!

With the flowering of Latin-American restaurants across the UK, Peruvian black mint is slowly becoming better known this side of the pond, but purchasing it does still mean hunting down jars of the stuff at ethnic supermarkets where it is sold at premium prices. Fortunately, it also happens to be ridiculously easy to grow, even on our soggy North Atlantic isle. Closely related to the garden marigold, the plants can be sown in exactly the same way from seed bought from one of the many suppliers online. Although earlier in the year it would mean fussing with trays of pots indoors away from frost, right now the seeds can be sown directly in any sunny, open patch of ground where they will quickly shoot up to around 1.8m tall.

Sadly, unlike garden marigolds, the flowers of this species are greenish yellow and tiny (there is a reason why they were named minuta). But what they lack in dazzling colour they more than make up for in ease of care, being tolerant of pests, drought and poor soils. These super unfussy plants will even self-seed to come back year after year.

Coriander, meet your match.

Email James at james.wong@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @Botanygeek

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