Bitter Truth

When you eat anything bitter you screw up your face and probably stick out your tongue. This is a natural reaction to bitterness. Bitterness is a reaction to a toxin. Not all bitter things are toxic but toxic things are usually bitter, however an exception to this rule is Hemlock. Bitterness contributed to who you are today. Your ancestors naturally tasted and tested herbs, leaves, plants etc. and they learnt how to differentiate good from poisons. This greater ability over other animals meant that they had access to a greater range of foods.

Unfortunately this ability is disappearing, because bitterness is slowly being removed from our foods. Vegetables and fruits are being grown and produced in such a way that the bitter things are being removed. I remember eating grapefruit when I was younger which was bitter and you needed a sprinkling of sugar on it and still I used to screw up my face because of the bitterness. Now when I eat grapefruit I eat it without sugar and it’s only slightly bitter. I hadn’t realised that grapefruit had become sweeter.

Jennifer Macladden has written a book called “Bitter” and she writes about how she remembers grapefruit in Australia, where she grew up, being white and bitter and now it’s become pink and red.

Wine is also sweeter and I am sure if you thought about it you could think of more foods, which have become sweeter.

Bitterness at the beginning of a meal opens up the tastebuds and helps to enjoy the meal. In Asian and African countries they put bitter ingredients into their food, when they are cooking to enhance the flavour of their food. Italy is a European country where they still have drinks and food that are bitter.

The bitterness helps you to pick out the different tastes in food.

Bitter nutrients which are good for us are being removed e.g. Narindian from grapefruit juice is removed and that makes up to 78%.

Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts are sweeter and this has been slowly happening for decades and means the good nutrients are being removed.

It’s important for us all to search out bitterness as we now know that sweetness in our foods is not good for us.

Reference:  “Bitterness” on the BBC Radio 4 Food programme.