by Emily Towne 
Most of us do not initially think of bitter as an appealing flavor, nor do we generally seek it out. There is a certain ick factor associated with bitter that tends to put us off. The mere mention of it can cause a visceral reaction, sour face, pursed lips, or clenched jaw. It’s been theorized that our aversion to bitter might serve as a protection against consuming toxic substances, but not all bitter substances are toxic, and not all people can even taste bitter flavors, so there is still much to learn about why we react as we do. With rational thought and purposeful behavior, we are, however, capable of overcoming our aversion to bitter and learning to like it and even crave it. But why would we want to? Well, it turns out there are plenty of excellent reasons to invite bitter into our lives!
History of Bitter
Bitter flavors come from fruits, vegetables, plants, barks, roots, berries, flowers, leaves, and stems. Bitter has been used medicinally in China, Europe, India, and the Americas going back five thousand years or more. Ancient Egyptians were known to have utilized bitter flavors in healing modalities. The forerunner of modern cocktail and digestive bitters originated with those ancient preparations. Many bitter herbs were employed during the Middle Ages to treat various ailments as well. Paracelsus, a Swiss physician, is credited with developing an herbal tonic in the early 1500s that inspired many subsequent versions across Europe.
I imagine that many medicine women and men, hearth keepers, healers, and ancient foragers knew of a variety of go-to bitter herbs and botanicals for healing and whole-ing. Whether eaten raw, cooked in a pot, or extracted by way of tea or tincture, herbal bitters are intrinsically interwoven with human survival the world over. Modern science is just now catching up to them to validate their wisdom.
The wide range of bitter flavors found in plant-based foods and beverages has long been associated with myriad health benefits, including stimulating of the appetite and nervous system, improving digestion, adding balance and dimension to other flavors in a meal, mitigating dietary overindulgence, and improving metabolism, to mention a few. Bitter foods also contain important minerals, trace elements, vitamins, and compounds that protect us from carcinogens and increase our overall health.
Bitter has been used throughout the ages for these reasons, so what’s not to love about it? And why do we not utilize bitter as fully as we do the other elements of taste? Our modern palate has largely lost the once-commonplace desire for bitter flavors. But with a little finesse, we can welcome them back to our palate.
As our food system has become more industrialized over time, sweeter and milder flavors have won out over those that are bitter. A number of vegetables, including eggplant and brussels sprouts, that were historically more bitter in flavor have had the bitter bred out of them to appease our more, shall we say, delicate modern palates. As we have increasingly sated our appetites with highly processed, sugar-laden foods, bitter has become a relic of times past. Simultaneously, our health and our satisfaction with our food have declined, leaving us with cravings, binge eating, obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related health issues. As modern science delves into the world of bitter, we are learning that these cast-aside bitter foods may well be an important factor in bringing balance and health back into our lives.
How We Taste Bitter
While bitter is a flavor that is detected on our taste buds, it is much more nuanced and complex than we might initially realize. We have bitter receptors in our airways and throughout our digestive system. These interactive receptors send messages to our bodies as we eat and drink. Smelling, sipping, chewing, and swallowing bitter flavors sends messages that activate processes that improve our digestion, our satisfaction with food, and eventually, positively impact our gut.
Bitter, Genetics, and Taste
To date, research has identified as many as a hundred different bitter compounds in food. Each of our taste buds has several dozen receptors to these compounds. The bitter in coffee is detected by some receptors, while the bitter flavor in say, arugula, is detected by others. The number of taste buds each person has also varies, all of which affects how individuals experience bitter. Approximately 25 percent of people are highly sensitive to a bitter chemical called 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), a treatment for hyperthyroidism, and are considered “super tasters,” while 25 percent do not taste bitter at all and are considered “non-tasters.” Approximately 50 percent find PROP only mildly bitter and are considered normal tasters. These are genetic factors that we are just now beginning to understand.
In spite of our genetic predisposition, which affects how we experience bitter, taste is malleable to a certain degree. Taste happens in the brain as well as on the tongue, and we are capable of training our brain to be more, or less, amenable to flavors through practice and habit. How we experience flavors—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, savory (umami)—is formed and affected by an orchestration of factors that includes our culture, diet, and genetics. The first time we sipped coffee or snuck a swig of beer from an adult, we probably were not impressed and may have wondered what was so great about these bitter beverages. But over time, we may have developed an affinity, and even cravings, for bitter, as evidenced by our ritual of cup of morning coffee or tea, both of which are full of bitter flavonoids. It is in this manner of repetition that we can train ourselves to perceive bitter flavors differently and welcome them into our repertoire of acceptable, desirable, and even craved flavors.
Bitter Benefits in the Modern Diet
Bitter flavors are no less important today than they were thousands of years ago. And in fact, bitter may be even more important than ever, considering the declining quality of our industrialized food system. Some of the packaged, preserved items on grocery store shelves today are food-like substances that our bodies may not even recognize as food. Our disconnect from the origins of real food parallels with our disconnect from bitter flavors. The ability of bitter to help us reconnect our bodies with a healthy food system is empowering.
Many bitter foods, such as arugula, dill, kale, brussels sprouts, dandelion, and burdock, can be either grown in a backyard garden or foraged locally. Make use of what’s on hand and enjoy experimenting.
Smelling and tasting bitter initiates biological actions within our bodies. They make us pucker, but they also prime the digestive tract by initiating the release of digestive enzymes and bile (acids) that facilitate the breakdown of food and stimulate our nervous system. They stimulate motor activity of the stomach and intestines, improve vitamin and nutrient absorption, and ease common digestive ailments such as bloating, belching, and gas. They trigger the release of hormones that control the appetite and affect our sensitivity to insulin. Bitter flavors quell cravings for sweet flavors, which, if left unchecked, promote gluttony and obesity. Disrupting the cycles of sugar cravings and consumption can regenerate our gut flora, which impacts our immune system. Clearly, bitters are a valuable flavor element to include in our daily lives. The ancients who valued and employed bitter may not have known or understood the science behind it, but they certainly benefitted from wise usage of the bitter flavor.
Training the Palate for Bitter Foods
Bitter foods and beverages are available in a staggering variety of shapes, sizes, colors, textures, and flavor profiles, including fruits, vegetables, greens, and other plant components. Grapefruit, coffee, tea, spirits, hops, beer, arugula, bitter orange, amaranth, wormwood, ginger, cardamom, dandelion, lamb’s quarters, sage, broccoli, kale, bitter melon, and endive are just a few of them. The list is long and varied, with something to appeal to even the most selective palate.
If you are not already a bitter eater and the idea of it seems somewhat daunting, don’t be dismayed. It’s been observed that there is somewhat of a learning curve for the palate when introducing bitter into the diet. Initially, it can seem quite unpleasant, but with repetition, it can even become more tolerable and even become a craving. One of the quickest and easiest ways to introduce bitter flavors into our daily diet is through teas and salads.
Many bitter elements can be foraged, and many can be grown in a backyard garden. In general, wild botanicals, herbs, and heirloom varieties of fruits and vegetables contain more bitter compounds than modern-day hybrids. Look for those at your local farmers’ market, or seek out seeds to grow your own when possible. I found bitter melon at my local farmers’ market. It came with several recipe ideas and cooking advice from the Indian women who staffed the booth.
Bitter Aperitifs and Digestives and Cocktails
Bitters have been used as both aperitifs and after-meal digestifs throughout history. Like tonic water, which started out as a medicine for malaria and evolved into the modern gin and tonic cocktail, the bitters used to flavor modern cocktails, such as Peychaud’s and Angostura, started out as patented tonics ages ago. They contain potent bitter ingredients such as gentian, herbs, spices, roots, fruit peels, botanicals, seeds, bark, and flowers along with sugar and alcohol. Many brands are available commercially, and they can also be made at home. Spirits that are considered bitter are an entirely fascinating subject of their own. Many of them originate from old-world recipes and stood the test of time.
Bitter aperitifs and digestives are grouped into two categories: potable and nonpotable. The potables are those that are designed to be consumed as a drink or cocktail. The nonpotables are bitters that are to be added in smaller amounts to a beverage or cocktail or taken in small doses, such as a dropperful. Aperitifs are consumed at the beginning of a meal to prime our digestive system and whet the appetite. They typically contain a classic bitter spirit such as vermouth, Campari, Aperol, Cynar, Fernet-Branca, Chartreuse, or one of the Italian Amari and can be used for pre- or postmeal cocktails. A Negroni is an iconic Italian aperitif which contains one part gin, one part vermouth rosso, and one part Campari, garnished with an orange slice, and can easily be made at home.
Urban Moonshine produces a line of organic bitters available in health food stores and online that are promoted as both an aperitif and digestif. Digestifs are consumed post-meal and help balance the richness of a meal, ease fullness, and facilitate digestion. They can be an after-meal spirit, a cocktail, or herbal bitters. Experiment with some of these options to see what works best for your palate and lifestyle. The small bottles of digestive bitters are easily tucked into purses and travel bags and so are a great option for on-the-go eating.
From aperitifs to digestifs, and all the wonderful bitter foods in between, bitter has a place at the table. The artful use of bitter flavors allows the creative cook to successfully incorporate them into daily meals. Start small and develop your repertoire through experimentation. The idea with bitters is to include the flavor often, on a regular basis, in order to continuingly reap the benefits. Once bitter is on your radar, it becomes a fun challenge to discover new ways to incorporate it. Your palate and your liver will thank you.
Dandelion Tea
Make this tea in a teapot or quart canning jar. I recommend you forage and dry your own dandelion roots too!
Add 2 teaspoons of dried, chopped dandelion root and 1 teaspoon of mint for every 8 ounces of water. Add other dried flowers and aromatic leaves of your preference (optional).
Pour boiling water into tea pot or jar, cover, and steep for 5–10 minutes.
Strain into cups with a tea strainer. Add honey to sweeten.
Radicchio and Shiitake Sauté
Here’s an easy one-dish side that has bitter taste plus umami from the shiitakes. Radicchio is a member of the chicory family and comes from Italy. This bitter green has been cultivated from the wild, like arugula, and has maintained its appealing bitter flavor over time. The most commonly available variety of radicchio is Chioggia, but any of the radicchios will serve for this recipe. With a bit of finesse, you can grow this radicchio in your garden, or look for it at farmers’ markets and health food stores. It looks like a miniature deep red cabbage head.
1 head Chioggia radicchio
6–8 shiitake mushrooms
Olive oil
Butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the leaves away from main stem of the radicchio and cut them into narrow strips. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them into small cubes.
Heat a medium skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil and butter. Sauté mushrooms in the fat until soft and browned, about 5–7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan and set aside in a bowl.
Add more olive oil and butter as needed (a few tablespoons) to the pan and sauté the radicchio until soft, about 4‒5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms back into the pan with the radicchio and stir until mushrooms are heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot as a side dish. Makes 4 servings.
Bitter Green Salad with Creamy Dressing
This recipe is a powerhouse of nutrition and bitter pungency. Use it as a template and feel free to substitute other greens that you may have available. The pea microgreens are a sweet base and act as a counterpoint to the bold bitter elements. Use organic ingredients when possible. Dress with oil and vinegar, or indulge with a creamy dressing, shared here.
For the salad:
1 cup arugula, woody stems removed, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup dandelion greens, woody stems removed, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 cups pea microgreens, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup basil leaves, stems removed, cut into chiffonade
1 shallot, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl, dress, and retoss. Makes 4 servings. May be doubled easily.
For the dressing:
¾ cup high-quality mayonnaise (I like certified organic Sir Kensington, made with sunflower oil.)
2‒3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons dill, very finely chopped
2‒3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in a glass jar (I use a pint-size canning jar), screw on the lid, shake the jar until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, and pour over salad. This recipe makes almost 1 cup of dressing and will keep in the fridge 1 week.
Bitter Sweet Glazed Asian Ribs
This is a super easy rib recipe with great flavor that tastes like you spent a lot more time on it than you actually did! It’s great for a main dish, or you can serve it as an appetizer. It’s also excellent the next day. It’s messy finger food, so put out plenty of napkins. I use organic ingredients when possible.
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons molasses or agave nectar
2‒4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon peeled and chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Angostura bitters (or substitute homemade or other brands of bitters)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1–3 teaspoons sriracha sauce, to taste and heat tolerance
¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
Pinch of Celtic sea salt
3‒5 pounds pork spare ribs
Mix all ingredients except the ribs in a large bowl deep enough to accommodate the ribs. Remove ¼ cup sauce and set aside. Place the ribs in the bowl to marinate in the sauce in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour, up to 6 hours. Turn occasionally to evenly coat with sauce.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place ribs on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 45–55 minutes. Halfway through roasting, turn the ribs and slather generously with the reserved sauce. Roast until ribs are browned and tender. Bone should wiggle easily but not slide away from the meat.
Turn the oven to broil and let broiler get up to temperature. Place ribs under a preheated broiler for approximately 5 minutes, until charred but not burnt. Slice ribs into segments between each bone. Serve and enjoy!
Selected Resources
“Digestive Health with Bitters.” Healthy Hildegard. Accessed March 15, 2019. https://www.healthyhildegard.com/digestive-health-and-bitters/.
Lu, Ping, Cheng-Hai Zhang, Lawrence M. Lifshitz, and Ronghua ZhuGe. “Extraoral Bitter Taste Receptors in Health and Disease.” Journal of General Physiology 149, no. 2 (February 2017): 181–197. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5299619/.
McLagan, Jennifer. Bitter: A Taste of the World’s Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2014.
Nabhan, Gary Paul. Why Some Like it Hot: Food, Genes, and Cultural Diversity. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2004.
Parsons, Brad Thomas. Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2016.
———. Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2011.
“The Bittersweet Truth of Sweet and Bitter Taste Receptors.” Science in the News (blog), May 03, 2013. Harvard University. http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2013/the-bittersweet-truth-of-sweet-and-bitter-taste-receptors/.