How do various soaps taste?

[CilantroAdventurer]

The title, more or less. I've been doing a lot of research into soaps and specifically their taste and there isn't a lot of answers. More specifically, how do lye based soaps taste? And even more specifically, how does fat boiled in ash soap taste?

 

[DeeAnna]

"...there isn't a lot of answers..."

Mainly because the answers vary depending on the person and the soap. Some soap is almost tasteless -- rather bland to perhaps slightly salty. Other soap tastes pretty nasty -- bitter and/or metallic.

 

[Obsidian]

I tried making tooth soap once and have just a little info.
High coconut oil tastes a little like vomit, the worst of any soap.

Peanut oil is almost flavorless, best choice for teeth. Took sweetner and flavor well.

My basic high lard soap just tastes like you imagine soap would.

 

[lsg]

This question reminds of of Ralphie on the Christmas Story.

 

[Babyshoes]

I don't have any answers since I'm not in the habit of tasting my soaps, but I feel the need to to counter your question with another question - why do you ask?

 

[CilantroAdventurer]

I don't have any answers since I'm not in the habit of tasting my soaps, but I feel the need to to counter your question with another question - why do you ask?

I am doing historical research, actually. I am curious if/how historical societies explained the taste divide of cilantro. I am curious if they might've also described it as tasting soap, but didn't know if ancient soap tasted similarly to our modern soaps. So I was curious if fat boiled in ash soap would taste similarly to my Dove soap today.

 

[Babyshoes]

I am doing historical research, actually. I am curious if/how historical societies explained the taste divide of cilantro. I am curious if they might've also described it as tasting soap, but didn't know if ancient soap tasted similarly to our modern soaps. So I was curious if fat boiled in ash soap would taste similarly to my Dove soap today.

Interesting! Let us know what you find out.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Fat boiled in ash (or rather a filtered watery extract from ash), at the right usage rates, are exactly what (liquid) soap is, and always has been: water, potassium salts of fatty acids, and a bit of glycerol (which tastes sweet!).

When you use good-quality ash, and you have good control over the leeching process, you end up with pretty much pure KOH solution, that shouldn't lend a different taste to the final LS than today's industrially produced KOH.

ETA: Scenting makes all of a difference, though. I guess this is a lot harder to reproduce than the soap itself.

 

[CilantroAdventurer]

Fat boiled in ash (or rather a filtered watery extract from ash), at the right usage rates, are exactly what (liquid) soap is, and always has been: water, potassium salts of fatty acids, and a bit of glycerol (which tastes sweet!).

When you use good-quality ash, and you have good control over the leeching process, you end up with pretty much pure KOH solution, that shouldn't lend a different taste to the final LS than today's industrially produced KOH.

ETA: Scenting makes all of a difference, though. I guess this is a lot harder to reproduce than the soap itself.

Would you say ancient soap, like in Babylon and Egypt, would taste similarly to modern soap I have in my bathroom? Like Dove.

Also, if you anyone has ancient texts talking about the taste of cilantro I'd be very happy!

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Well, IIRC that was your initiative to find out

The one single thing I can definitely help you with is to assure that soap in antiquity for sure did taste different than Dove® Beauty Bar (that actually isn't pure soap, but laden with syndets), just by looking at the ingredient list:

Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Sodium Oleate, Water (Eau), Sodium Isethionate, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Laurate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Kaolin or (ou) Titanium Dioxide.

I've highlighted the items that the Babylonians most certainly had no access to (most of them were even unknown until about the mid-20th century). I included lauric acid/sodium laurate, since I highly doubt that Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cultures have imported coconuts from the tropics to make soap from them.

Kaolin was know to the ancient Chinese (fun fact: “Kaolin” 高嶺 is actually a town in Jiangxi, China), but I doubt that it was widely known in the occident until the 18th century (think of Meissen porcelain).

 

[CilantroAdventurer]

I do know it would taste different but all soaps I've ever used (all which are store bought) taste different but that aren't different. I'm curious if I tasted Babylonian soap if it would taste like my soap. Enough where I could say it also tasted like cilantro.

Also, it has been quite difficult for me to find mention of cilantro tasting like soap. Hard to even find mention of cilantro outside of medical contexts. Once I do, I will post here, though.

 

[CreativeWeirdo]

I'm actually highly allergic to soap if ingested; I get VERY sick. So I don't eat it.

 

[DeeAnna]

Dove is not 100% lye-based soap -- that's why it legally has to be called a "cleanser" rather than "soap" on the label. So your interest in us comparing the taste to Dove isn't really valid.

Also fragrance affects the taste. You're more specifically wanting to know more about soap without fragrance.

 

[AliOop]

I used to love cilantro, but after a horse accident with a mild concussion (and other injuries), suddenly cilantro started tasting like soap to me. It's so sad because I can remember how good it used to taste. Now I can't enjoy it at all. But after having COVID in Dec 2020, now I like broccoli - something I have hated all my life. I'd rather have cilantro back, but apparently it's not up to me.

Anyhow, a quick online search turns up plenty of articles about cilantro tasting like soap. Here are just a few:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/why-does-cilantro-taste-soapy-1328523
https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-cilantro-taste-like-soap-to-some-people

 

[Zany_in_CO]

This question reminds of of Ralphie on the Christmas Story.

 

[TheGecko]

Would you say ancient soap, like in Babylon and Egypt, would taste similarly to modern soap I have in my bathroom? Like Dove.

You do know that Dove is NOT soap? It's why it says 'beauty bar'. It's NOT made with fats and lye.

Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Sodium Oleate, Water (Eau), Sodium Isethionate, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Fragrance (Parfum), Sodium Laurate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Kaolin or (ou) Titanium Dioxide.

 

[MelissaG]

Because once you've tasted one, you've tasted them all. Don't eat or lick soap.

 

[Dawni]

Soap made with neem oil tastes bitter. Ick.

Cilantro never tasted like soap to me lol

Nother useless post from me tonight haha I should probably go sleep LOL