Cilantro allergy = no coriander??

[Dust]

Hello all,

My SWMBO has recently developed a cilantro allergy (or intolerance at least). Now this is not 100% verified as she has not seen a doctor, but there was a period of a week or two where she got sick from at least 3 meals and ended up puking. Cilantro was the only common ingredient in all occurrences and needless to say, she does not want to take that risk again.

Anyway, I'm planning my 2nd brew and I really want it to be a Belgian wit, because despite the mixed opinions on it, Blue Moon is one of my favorite commercial beers. However, I've noticed that all recipes call for coriander seeds, at some point during the boil. I didn't even know what coriander was until recently, and I found out that it is very similar, if not the same thing, as cilantro. I obviously would like to share it with her and I'm wondering if I should just go with another style to brew or if it would be ok, since it will be a pretty small amount added (< 0.5oz; don't want it to overpower) and since she won't actually be ingesting the spice. Please help!


TL;DR - will adding coriander to a brew trigger a cilantro allergy/intolerance?

Thanks guys for all the help!

 

[beertroll]

They're actually from the same plant, so I would assume that it would. However, vomiting doesn't sound like an allergic reaction to me. It might be a good idea to see a doctor.

 

[evrose]

Hello all,

My SWMBO has recently developed a cilantro allergy (or intolerance at least). Now this is not 100% verified as she has not seen a doctor, but there was a period of a week or two where she got sick from at least 3 meals and ended up puking. Cilantro was the only common ingredient in all occurrences and needless to say, she does not want to take that risk again.

Anyway, I'm planning my 2nd brew and I really want it to be a Belgian wit, because despite the mixed opinions on it, Blue Moon is one of my favorite commercial beers. However, I've noticed that all recipes call for coriander seeds, at some point during the boil. I didn't even know what coriander was until recently, and I found out that it is very similar, if not the same thing, as cilantro. I obviously would like to share it with her and I'm wondering if I should just go with another style to brew or if it would be ok, since it will be a pretty small amount added (< 0.5oz; don't want it to overpower) and since she won't actually be ingesting the spice. Please help!


TL;DR - will adding coriander to a brew trigger a cilantro allergy/intolerance?

Thanks guys for all the help!

A couple thoughts (FWIW, I'm a doctor)... it's pretty rare for an adult to develop a true allergy to something like this. Not saying it can't happen, but it's not common. Vomiting is also a very rare symptom of an allergic response. Although coriander allergies can happen, they typically invoke a histamine/anaphylactic response. Intolerance is another issue, but again, it's rare to just suddenly become intolerant to a specific substance.

Without details of the situation and history, it's impossible to say for sure, but I'd be more likely to attribute her vomiting and illness to a sub-clinical virus or some other food-borne pathogen than a the spontaneous development of a cilantro allergy or intolerance. There's a saying in medicine, "When you hear hoof-beats, think of a horse, not a zebra." Horses are more common than zebras in the same way that viruses which cause vomiting are more common than adult onset food allergy.

Having said all that... < 0.5oz of a substance diluted in to 5 gallons of beer is a VERY, VERY low concentration. Add that she won't be ingesting the plant directly, and I'd venture to say that she'll be fine. And it's impossible to say what would happen to the antigen after sitting in a yeast-filled fermentation vessel for several weeks... it's possible the chemicals causing the problem could be altered to make them harmless... or not. Of course, this is not a 100% certainty, but the odds are in her favor.

In the end, it's up to you. I think the risk is low, but it is non-zero.

 

[joerose]

If its that much of an issue. I'd just use lemon zest instead or coriander. You won't get as much spice obviously but coriander gives a lemony flavor and the zest is the way to go. I'd just add fresh zest at flameout.

 

[RainyDay]

I would imagine that althought they're 2 forms of the same thing, they're not identical and have different chemical compositions; So in therory, if cilantro doesnt sit well, coriander might. Going to a doctor to confirm the allergy would be the best plan, even outside of the brew, to know for sure if it is and allergy to it.

 

[Dust]

Very nice info to know Doc! Thanks for all of the advice guys! Guess I'll just RDWHAHB