joshnii 2 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Love 'em. Our local supermarket surprised me today by having a ton in stock. Almost bought them out. Christmas and sprouts. What more could we want, other than snow of courser. >>> Why do they taste bitter? Known as glucosinolates (which include sinigrin, progoitrin and glucobrassicin), these bitter-tasting plant chemicals are designed to put off peckish predators because while you may not want to eat sprouts, sprouts do not want to be eaten either, hence they have developed these weapons of self-defence. But some people adore sprouts The reason why some people love sprouts is probably on account of genetic variations in our taste perceptions, researchers say. Scientists are able to test these by getting people to taste a little piece of paper impregnated with tiny amounts of a chemical with a similar structure to those found in sprouts. It's all in your taste buds The scientists say that we can be divided into non-tasters, medium-tasters and super-tasters, and that the latter appear to have a higher density of taste buds than the other two groups. It is the super-tasters among us who steadfastly protest their dislike of sprouts, and quite often do not enjoy green tea, coffee, grapefruit juice and other cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli, all of which share bitter-tasting undertones. The medium-tasters are those who do not like sprouts much, but manage to tolerate them on their one and only annual exposure at Christmas lunch. Non-tasters tuck in with gay abandon. Spare a thought for women It appears that the majority of super- tasters are women. This makes evolutionary sense given that women were the “gatherers†and foraged for berries and so on. Bitterness was a warning of toxicity in a food, which put women off trotting back to the cave with poisonous fare. With this in mind, it has made sense for industry to use “debittering†processes to make them more acceptable. This is where health experts and food companies differ. The former want more glucosinolates because they appear to have cancer-fighting powers, while the latter want fewer to make them more palatable. Given that you also get vitamin C, carotenes and folate from sprouts, the food industry may have a point. Be kind to sprout-haters However, no matter how engineered, super-tasters will detect bitter notes in this little vegetable. So this year, when promising to spread a little goodwill, start with the poor relative who gags at the sight of your sprouts. Pile his or her plate with extra carrots instead and save the sprouts for those who love them. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 OK.... are we talking Brussel Sprouts here? Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 If so. I love them. Hated them as a child, but I have grown to LOVE their taste, but it is indeed a strong and bitter one for me...wonder what category that puts me in? Best microwaved and served with a little butter and a little salt. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 yeah....I hate sprouts!! Christmas dinner and my mum will make loads, they will be eft at the side of my plate, not even the dog eats em!! Link to post Share on other sites
nzlegend 1 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver yeah....I hate sprouts!! Christmas dinner and my mum will make loads, actually was just re watching the TV show "Bottom" - timeless brilliance that show, but in the Xmas episode Richie cooked heaps of sprouts on Xmas day - is it a British tradition? Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Part of Christmas dinner. But not quite as mushy as Rik cooked them! Link to post Share on other sites
veronica 2 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I love sprouts (non soggy type). They are good raw too. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Tons of sprouts grown round where my parents live. Fields and field of sprout sticks. Can double up for morris dancing too, or hitting people with. Link to post Share on other sites
neversummer 0 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I would eat them all year if I could find them in Hokkaido. Only recently found beetroot which was quite exciting I must say Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Beetroot really?? I miss beetroot Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Love sprouts and will be having them with my xmas dinner this year again as I always do. Like joshnii said above sprouts tend to be bitter, that is usually if they have been picked before any frost or snow. I grew some last year and left them until there where some frost and even a little snow, it sweetens them up, but not many people if any here in Japan know that. Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Always bring some beetroot back with me from UK. Bit heavy though. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Yeah I like beetroot too and rhubarb, I grow them too, actually I grow pretty much all kinds of vegetables, including kohl rabi which is great for salads! Link to post Share on other sites
neversummer 0 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I love beetroot too, we get them sent from Tokyo to Kutchan for about 400yen and htey are a bit smaller than a grapefruit and really tasty. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Sprout sticks are ace. Stick one on a plate and munch away. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I do a turkey wiht sage an onion stuffing. Giblet gravey cooked with the juices. Served with roast potatoes and sprouts. I cannot imagine the Christmas dinner with out the sprouts. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Rhubarb grows anywhere!! That stuff has to be the easiest plant to grow, My mum's garden had some wild rhubarb growing at the bottom, it was HUGE!!! Silly question, but is Rhubarb officially a vegetable? Just that its kinda sweet and always used in sweet puddings etc that I always think of itas a fruit. Kinda the same way in reverse that people consider tomatoes to be vegetables when they are really fruit Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Vegetable it seems, although some call it a herb. Quote: Rhubarb is a relative of buckwheat and has an earthy, sour flavor. Rhubarb thrives in cold climates and originated in Western China, Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia and neighboring areas. The traditional role was medicinal-the dried root was a popular remedy for a wide range of illnesses. Its primary function was to induce vomiting, although rhubarb is also a mild astringent. This medicinal role caused the price of the dried root to rise. In 1542, rhubarb sold for ten times the price of cinnamon in France and in 1657 rhubarb sold for over twice the price of opium in England (Schneider, 2001). Beginning in the eighteenth century, rhubarb began to be consumed in foods, primarily drinks and meat stews. Botanically speaking, rhubarb is considered a vegetable, but it's most often treated as a fruit — though it's rarely eaten raw. Just like fresh cranberries, rhubarb is almost unbearably tart on its own and needs the sweetness of sugar, honey, or fruit juice added to it to balance out the acidity. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Originally Posted By: Mamabear Vegetable it seems, although some call it a herb. Quote: Rhubarb is a relative of buckwheat and has an earthy, sour flavor. Rhubarb thrives in cold climates and originated in Western China, Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia and neighboring areas. The traditional role was medicinal-the dried root was a popular remedy for a wide range of illnesses. Its primary function was to induce vomiting, although rhubarb is also a mild astringent. This medicinal role caused the price of the dried root to rise. In 1542, rhubarb sold for ten times the price of cinnamon in France and in 1657 rhubarb sold for over twice the price of opium in England (Schneider, 2001). Beginning in the eighteenth century, rhubarb began to be consumed in foods, primarily drinks and meat stews. Botanically speaking, rhubarb is considered a vegetable, but it's most often treated as a fruit — though it's rarely eaten raw. Just like fresh cranberries, rhubarb is almost unbearably tart on its own and needs the sweetness of sugar, honey, or fruit juice added to it to balance out the acidity. we used to eat it raw although we'd dip it in sugar first...thats probably why I consider it to be sweet!! Link to post Share on other sites
neversummer 0 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Just bought some sprouts in Sapporo today for Xmas Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I usually cut the end off and do a cross cut X on it so it gets more tender. Link to post Share on other sites
klingon 10 Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 That seems to be the done thing. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Just got my turkey today a nice 5kg turkey for the family, only thing left to get are some sprouts tomorrow and I will be all set for xmas day. I will be spending the morning in the kitchen getting the dinner ready. Got xmas pud and cake sent to me from the UK too, just as I do every year so all good to go. Got a ton of Bisto and birds custard powder too so will be having the full works! Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 How many you cooking for snowdude? I'm off now. Have a good Christmas all, whatever you may be doing. To keep it on topic, I hope to eat at least 25 sprouts. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Four people! Link to post Share on other sites
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