Why does tiger urine smell like basmati rice? Why does the drydown of ground coriander seed smell like bergamot?
Someone asked me a question on one of my Facebook page, and since I often get asked similar questions, I thought I'd post my answer here and refer folks back to this blog post in the future. Question: Hey you're probably the right person to ask! I ground some coriander by hand last night for a recipe. it went through several scenty stages, beginning with an almost minty/herbal scent and ending up smelling very much like bergamot. Are the two related? Answer: Coriander is in the Umbelliferae family, and bergamot (mint) is in the Labiatae. Unless you mean bergamot citrus, which smells like the bergamot mint - confused? I'm going to make you a little more confused, but I bet you learn something that'll stick with you, even though it doesn't answer your question directly: 1. All aromatics are made up of levels of scents, much like the top/middle/base notes we're familiar with with perfumes. 2. I'll admit I don't know the name of