There are five basic flavors that we can all taste: sweet, salty (umami), bitter, and sour. Bitter foods, such as grapefruit and broccoli with their strong and pungent flavor are not always easy to swallow. Our evolution is the reason.
Plants began to produce bitter compounds in order to reduce their appeal to predators, and also to protect themselves from disease. Scientists believe a genetic mutation around 1 million years ago gave our ancestors an ability to taste bitter substances as a survival tool, since they could be a sign for something toxic or rancid.
We eventually learned what foods we should not eat. As cultures developed, they began to appreciate bitter plants and herbs, not just for their taste but also for the health benefits that they offered.
Bitter foods are no longer popular in recent years, as they have been replaced by sweeter and saltier processed foods that are more pleasing to the palate. Food producers and farmers have tried to eliminate bitterness from fruits and vegetables.
As the popularity of plant-based diets and global flavors increases, we are able to enjoy the bitter taste of vegetables like kale or cauliflower again. Researchers have found that bitterness can be a flavor we can all enjoy again. You can easily get your bitters by using a supplement such as Swedish bitters from Flora.
Bitter foods are great for creating complex dishes and balancing flavors. But they also have many other benefits.