Savoury, sweet, acid, umami and… bitter: among the 5 great families of known flavours, bitter is often the least favourite. Tougher to tame, bitterness is in fact an essential component of taste. Let us explain why it is hard to tame… and why you will end up yielding!
A natural rejection of bitterness
Babies who try bitter foods reject them immediately with the cute face that comes with! This aversion is a survival reflect dating back to the beginning of time when the greater part of human food came from wild picking. Berries and other toxic plants often are bitter due to components from the world of plants.
It is with maturity that tastebuds appreciate bitterness if not absolutely love it as shown by the wide consumption of dark chocolate, coffee, tea or beer among adults. As for bitter vegetables and fruits like chicory or grapefruit, they present a specific benefit to our bodies as it helps with the good function of the liver. Their taste is culturally acquired but once included in our diets, it is hard to live without! It is no coincidence if in the past few years, Chefs have been adding them to their dishes to elevate them and contrast other tastes.
How to give bitterness a try?
Are you looking to incorporate bitter foods slowly into your diet? Here are a few plant-based ideas for kids and adults to try:
- Aim for vegetables that are easy to prepare. Rocket is easy thank to Bonduelle’s packaged salad. It is also a great introduction to bitterness. Its small tasteful and spicy leaves can be mixed with other young and sweeter sprouts.
- Try progressively. Between the eating grapefruit, radicchio or treviso (a red salad full of taste), there are several degrees of bitterness allowing to familiarise yourself with this flavour at your pace.
- Add bitter vegetables one at the time. For instance, chicory is generally more enjoyed in a mixed salad (delicious with apples or oranges), coated in a slice of ham and some bechamel, or even candied with a bit of honey. The secret: counterbalance bitterness with something sweet, rounded or acid.
- Try Italian cooking. It perfectly blend bitterness like no other with its strong espressos, its purple artichokes, its many chicories or even its bitter oranges. Unsurprisingly, it is a known fact that everyone loves Italian food!