Sweet and savory flavor profiles have a long, love-hate history among fast-food fans — from Yum! Brands (YUM)-owned KFC’s Fried Chicken And Donuts Sandwich to dipping one’s fries in a Wendy’s (WEN) Frosty, there’s nothing quite like mixing flavor profiles that many consider to be unmixable to generate internet buzz.
Those two may be the most famous, but they're hardly the only official (or unofficial sweet and savory fast-food offerings. Few knew that a Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joe was once sold at state fairs, albeit not by the company while few can forget the McDonald's (MCD) McGriddle, a breakfast sandwich where two syrup-sweetened pancakes replacing the biscuit, bagel, or English Muffin.
And, of course, the offerings get even weirder, Domino's (DPZ) once offered pasta carbonara served in a dessert-style pastry bowl, Delish reported. This unique treat contained "penne pasta mixed with Alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, bacon, shredded Parmesan, and oregano served in a puff pastry bowl."
The latest sweet treat to light up the internet is the straightforwardly-named Cilantro Sundae — a limited-edition offering from McDonald’s China.
McDonald's China
Cilantro In Ice Cream? It Works, Says McDonald’s China
A version of the McFlurry made not with chocolate sauce or M&Ms but bright green cilantro sauce and accompanied by dried crumbs of the herb, the Cilantro Sundae is evidently a brief experiment as it’s only available in Chinese McDonald's restaurants from February 21 until February 25.
But if generating buzz and internet vitality was the goal, the four-day offering has already more than accomplished that. Over the last four days, thousands of commenters in the camp of “ew, gross” have been vigorously arguing with the sundae’s defenders on Twitter (TWTR) and Facebook META.
"The only good thing about McDonald's China making a cilantro sundae is that most people that try to order it won’t be able to, because the ice cream machine is broken," YouTuber Bobby Buckets wrote on Twitter in reference to the often-broken McFlurry machine.
But another Twitter user shot down some calling it a "soap sundae" with claims that they'd "happily enjoy my cilantro sundae thank u very much."
Different Flavor Profiles Or Manufactured Hype?
There is a more specific reason cilantro generates such a strong reaction for many — according to longstanding scientific research, approximately 20% of the human population has an olfactory-receptor gene that make the herb taste like soap.
But at the same time, what is off-putting in one country can be a delicacy in another. McDonald's, in particular, is well-known for tailoring its menus in different markets — while the fast-food chain is only starting to roll out the McPlant in the U.S., McDonald's India has had numerous veggie options like the McPaneer and the McAloo Tikki since coming to the country in the 1990s.
At different points in time, the chain also offered a McLobster in Canada, spinach and parmesan nuggets in Italy, and a melon float in Japan. The "ew gross" reaction currently dominating Twitter may, in fact, be more of a benefit than a problem — they say, after all, that no publicity is bad publicity.
