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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 24, 2009 16:37:07 GMT
I love bitterness, and am always shocked when food or drink is rejected because of its essential bitterness. Anyone else?
Some good bitter flavors:
coffee, beer, grapefruit, dark chocolate, some greens
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2009 18:11:10 GMT
Dandelion salad... and Suze
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 25, 2009 2:40:49 GMT
aaah of course ... and chicory leaves in a salad. What is Suze?
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Post by Don Cuevas on Mar 25, 2009 3:27:45 GMT
Licorice. Angostura Bitters. Some bitter-sharp salad greens, such as are sold in Oaxaca's Pochote Mercado.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2009 3:38:50 GMT
I'm not real big on bitter greens,maybe a smidgen. Love coffee,dark chocolate(the only chocolate). Never liked grapefruit unless cut with something sweeter.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2009 6:10:14 GMT
Suze is a gentian flavored apéritif.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 25, 2009 7:11:36 GMT
 I don't have any idea how gential would taste. All I can think of is gentian violet, which is what was put on "lie bumps" when I was a little kid. You did remind me of one the truly great bitter tastes, though: Campari!
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Post by happytraveller on Mar 25, 2009 11:35:42 GMT
The only bitter thing I like is grape fruit. Sour is nice, bitter is a no go.
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Post by spindrift on Mar 25, 2009 16:10:15 GMT
I would definitely loathe that Suze. I think I tasted it once in Switzerland. Oh, that's anathema (?) to me...
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2009 16:38:26 GMT
What about bitter melon AKA bitter gourd? I've seen it in Asian recipes and have never tried. I acquired some seeds for it to grow. Any good?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2009 18:08:00 GMT
gin & tonic
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Post by mockchoc on Mar 28, 2009 11:52:53 GMT
I just bought some curly endive today for my hit of bitterness this week.
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Post by hwinpp on Mar 30, 2009 6:18:46 GMT
Bitter is ok when in combination with sour or sweet.
Bitter gourd is good, Casimira. Hollow it out, stuff it with a fish or pork based filling that's not bitter, then put it in clear soup or broth.
Interestingly enough the Laos favourite taste combination is bitter- sour. Quite a bit of the bitterness comes from actually burning vegetables (just on the outside) before cooking/using them.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Mar 30, 2009 17:24:51 GMT
Schweppes G&T.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 16, 2010 14:31:44 GMT
Resurrecting this thread because of the various comments about chocolate on the food dislikes thread.
I wonder if people who don't like any bitter taste in food perceive more bitterness than the people who like it. Maybe it's the same reason people who don't like sweet stuff reject it -- because the most pronounced aspect to them is the sweetness.
I've also heard people describe something sour -- sour to me, anyway -- as bitter.
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Post by lagatta on Mar 17, 2010 1:13:40 GMT
Yes, there is bitter in grapefruit, but to my mind more sour. I'd make a poor Laotian; I don't really like the combination.
Italians love bitter herbs, vegetables and concoctions to make liqueurs.
good coffee is bitter... but not TOO bitter.
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Post by existentialcrisis on Mar 19, 2010 18:54:56 GMT
I guess I am a lover of bitter things. Love all the above-mentioned foods. Dandelion greens are soooo bitter, it is almost too much - but I still love eating them. It was mentioned earlier that beer can be perceived as bitter. This is certainly the case with the trendy American IPAs and Double IPAs... very, very hoppy. I disliked these at first, opting for a sweeter maltier style, such as Leffe or Quebec's La Fin du Monde. But these IPAs have really grown on me. I think this acquired taste becomes an addiction, as people who love hoppy beers are often referred to as "hop-heads".
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Post by hwinpp on Mar 20, 2010 7:15:02 GMT
Ohhh, I love bitter beers. Otherwise it's not my favourite taste. Especially not dark chocolate. In fact my favourite chocolate is white chocolate. Does that even contain any cocoa butter?
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Post by existentialcrisis on Mar 20, 2010 9:42:04 GMT
The best part is that I don't find "Bitters" bitter at all!  I would also like to know if there is any cocoa in white chocolate. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2010 11:32:40 GMT
Same with me -- I don't consider bitter beer to be bitter. It has a taste all its own.
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Post by spindrift on Mar 20, 2010 12:25:51 GMT
It would be fun if we could organize a Bitters Tasting amongst ourselves.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 20, 2010 17:18:24 GMT
White chocolate is mostly cocoa butter. You could probably rub it on your skin as a moisturizer.  When you order hot chocolate in Mexico, you're asked if you want it made with water or with milk. I always ask for the water version, as it allows the underlying bitterness of the chocolate to shine through. If you've experimented with commercial Mexican chocolate and find it too sweet, try adding a little cocoa powder to achieve chocolately goodness not overwhelmed by sugar. Off and on I think about making my own bitters, which would be an interesting learning process. Probably reading about herbal tinctures would be helpful, as is this overview of bitters. Here is a simple recipe, and there are more on the internet. This guy uses teas for some of his bases -- intriguing. Most of the sites emphasize the role of bitters in mixing cocktails, but I'd like to know more about their medicinal uses and also how they could be used in cooking. |
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Post by imec on Mar 20, 2010 19:01:53 GMT
Cinzano Arancio - flavoured with bitter oranges...  |
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Post by lagatta on Mar 20, 2010 23:05:44 GMT
Is Arancio nice and bitter, imec?
I've seen it, but was afraid it would be too sweet.
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Post by imec on Mar 20, 2010 23:18:41 GMT
It's been some time since I've been able to buy it but, as I recall it wasn't as sweet as say, Lillet, but wasn't as bitter as a bottle of German or Italian bitters - It had quite a nice balance I thought. I did serve it to guests who found it too bitter for their taste.
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Post by lagatta on Mar 21, 2010 1:12:09 GMT
Sounds like it might be nice. I love bitter oranges. It would probably make a nice long drink with fizzy water too - or perhaps a white sparkling wine?
As I recall, like regular Cinzano it was not very expensive.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2010 9:32:13 GMT
The one bitter beverage that try as I might to acquire a taste for,and gave up long ago,is tonic water. I have been served it by mistake when having ordered a vodka and soda,and it is all I can do to not spit it out upon tasting. The last time,it was at a very fancy wedding and I almost did just that...it was that nasty a taste and my taste buds reacted violently. I have never been a fan of gin either so it is no great loss there.  |
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Post by lagatta on Mar 22, 2010 2:20:31 GMT
And then, there is rapini...
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Post by existentialcrisis on Mar 23, 2010 3:10:37 GMT
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my love for gin 'n' tonic! I guess I am a real bitter junkie!
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 23, 2010 3:42:01 GMT
I stay away from gin & tonic. I find them so delicious and refreshing that I want to guzzle them, always a mistake with alcoholic beverages.
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I don't have any idea how gential would taste. All I can think of is gentian violet, which is what was put on "lie bumps" when I was a little kid.
