Do You Buy an Herb/Spice if You Hate it But it's in a Recipe?

There are two that come to mind... cumin and cilantro.

It seems counterintuitive to put something into a recipe if I know I don't like the smell or taste of an herb or spice. To me, cumin smells like armpit and cilantro tastes like soap. Always has been. And I have been able to detect it in someone else's cooking as well.

The secret to these things is to determine whether or not the ingredient is essential. What this means is, can the dish be made without this herb or spice or can the dish have a substitute for it.

My usual example for this is Costa Rican spaghetti. The preparation calls for cilantro. And it's a pretty big amount. So instead, I use Italian parsley. No one detects the difference. Cumin, however, is another matter. The only things I could come up with were not necessarily 'better' to my way of thinking. Then I read somewhere that cinnamon might be a good choice. With cinnamon you can use the stick for cooking and then remove it when it is being plated (sort of like what's supposed to be done with bay leaves).

Of course, there is the option of looking at another recipe for the same thing.