Do you add bitter elements to your cooking?

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Some of you may have seen my post about preserving grapefruit. As noted there, it turned out to be quite bitter. I've all but decided to never make it again, but I don't want to throw it away. I want to find a way to use it as something other than a "it's great except for that bitterness" element to a dish. I found a combination that works: added along with kimchi in a banh mi. The bitterness gives an extra element along with the sweet, spicy, and savory that's already going on between the folds of the baguette.

But, I'm not done. Rather than just ask for ways to use my experiment, I thought I'd ask if there are any cooks out there who intentionally introduce bitter elements to their dishes.

I found one: @morning glory's Bitter Gourd Curry. That's all I was able to find here, which isn't a surprise. If someone tasted my food and said it tasted bitter, I wouldn't assume it was a compliment.

But, I still want to explore this aspect of flavor. As some articles point out, we don't have a problem with beer, coffee, and dark chocolate: for whatever reason, we forget that these are bitter. Ken Grossman, who founded Sierra Nevada Brewery in 1980, recalled people saying "Whoa, this is way too bitter". How popular did he think this new taste would be? “I recall being quoted when we were at 5,000 barrels that I guessed maybe that the domestic audience was 10,000 to 12,000 barrels,” Grossman said. Today, Sierra Nevada is up to almost a million barrels. Its flagship pale ale now has mass-market appeal.

Of course, some places (like Britain) never went through that need to make all beers bland like we did over here. But, the point is that there is a place for bitterness in the food and drink we consume.

I just ordered this book:

Expect to see some bitter elements show up in the foods I make in the later part of September.

 

[Morning Glory]

That books looks fascinating. I love bitter and could probably include more bitter elements in recipes if I put my mind to it - and now, you have put my mind to it! I'm pondering the difference between 'sour' and 'bitter'...

 

[Morning Glory]

My favourite aperitif - Campari. But its almost impossible to use in savoury cooking. I say almost because I expect there is a way.

 

[buckytom]

I love a good salad of bitter greens, nuts, goat cheese, and a sweet dressing like creamy raspberry balsamic.

Other than that, I'm going to have to think hard about anything else that we eat that's on the bitter side.

 

[Herbie]

That does sound like an interesting book.

I love bitter gourd chutney a friend used to make. I should try and make if myself. And @morning glory recipe for curry.

I read this post just after I had made and eaten lime (lemon) and chilli pickle. The lime (lemon) is sliced so you get all the pith. It is hot and sour and bitter.

 

[buckytom]

@Yorky , is Sigha a popular beer in Thailand, or is it one of those beers that's mainly produced for export to gringo countries such as Australia does with Foster's?

I love a good, bitter Singha whenever we go out for Thai food. It fills in one of those elements that Thai and Southern Asian dishes balance so well and are so famous for: sour, sweet, salty, bitter, spicy, umami, and so on.

 

[Yorky]

@Yorky , is Sigha a popular beer in Thailand, or is it one of those beers that's mainly produced for export to gringo countries such as Australia does with Foster's?

I love a good, bitter Singha whenever we go out for Thai food. It fills in one of those elements that Thai and Southern Asian dishes balance so well and are so famous for: sour, sweet, salty, bitter, spicy, umami, and so on.

"Singha" is the first lager I drank in Thailand. It gave me massive hangovers so I switched to their light "Singha Gold" which was less of a problem. Then Thai Beverage developed "Chang" (elephant) beer which was substantially cheaper so I switched to that. "Chang" remains, in my opinion, the generally available beer with the most taste. In response to "Chang", Boon Rawd launched their "Leo" (leopard) beer which was then a similar price to "Chang" but I found it much too sweet. Thai Beverage then launched "Archa" (horse) beer, the cheapest of the lot so I drink that.

Overall, all the lagers brewed here are much of a muchness - they are all crap.

 

[buckytom]

Ok, I thought of another one: bitter broccoli rabe, sautted with garlic and oil, served with sweet roast pork and shaved Romano cheese on a crusty long roll.

 

[epicuric]

Like @morning glory , I am unsure of the distinction between bitter and sour. I use lemon juice a lot - I would regard this as sour, and I use various vinegars - I think of these as 'sharp'. Am I missing a taste here?

 

[Wandering Bob]

Am I missing a taste here?

What we're missing is perhaps a better descriptive word? Not 'sour', not 'sharp' - it's definitely a 'bitter' taste, but it could probably do with qualifying - and more examples.

@buckytom captured it perfectly when he referred to 'bitter greens'. I knew instantly what he meant in terms of taste. An ingredient that counter-balances other tastes in a dish and which can also work contextually.

Probably reflective of my enfeebled mental state these days, but I can't come up with another example of this taste.

 

[Morning Glory]

Angostura bitters?

I'll consult the Taste Thesaurus later...

 

[Karen W]

Salads come to mind. Adding in ingredients like arugula, radishes and radicchio, along with sweet ingredients like Mandarin oranges, or strawberries, and a Dijon mustard or poppy seed dressing.

 

[Morning Glory]

Salads come to mind. Adding in ingredients like arugula, radishes and radicchio, along with sweet ingredients like Mandarin oranges, or strawberries, and a Dijon mustard or poppy seed dressing.

Lovely - bitter, sweet and citrus work so well together.

 

[Karen W]

Lovely - bitter, sweet and citrus work so well together.

Pears (or apples), bleu cheese, and walnuts are another nice combination. I wish the weather would hurry up and get cool already.

 

[Wandering Bob]

I wish the weather would hurry up and get cool already.

I know what you mean, but I think the correct response should be "be careful what you wish for" ….The switch from hot summer to mild autumn here has been a delightful contrast but we all know that fire-lighting and early evenings are just around the corner. 12 months a year of mild autumn weather would suit me perfectly but the weather gods have different plans in mind …