# Cultral foods
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 12, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722 "2002-06-12T21:19:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Cleric](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleric)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722/1 "2002-06-12T21:19:53Z")
There is a popular melon in traditional chinese cuisine that is quite bitter. Looking at other cultures, are there any other food besides that other cultures eat that are bitter? I know of a Japanese fish that the gut is eaten becuase of its extreme bitterness…but I was unable to find any non-asian cultures that eat bitter.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2002, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722/2 "2002-06-12T21:27:17Z")
Well, Bitter herbs are part of the Jewish passover…
Coffee can be quite bitter.
Sauerkraut?
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### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2002, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722/3 "2002-06-13T06:39:49Z")
The melon, by the way, is known as “bitter melon” (duh!), both in the original Chinese and the English translation.
My wife loves the stuff. I can’t figure out the appeal.
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2002, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722/4 "2002-06-13T06:56:21Z")
Chocolate, when not excessively sweetened. The Aztecs drank unsweetened hot chocolate, just as we would drink black coffee. Sometimes it was flavored with hot peppers, for what must be an interesting combination.
Speaking of beverages, beer gets its bitterness from hops.
Several condiments are pleasingly bitter, at least to my taste: Mustard, horseradish, etc.
Some greens can be quite bitter, like turnip greens or chicory.
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### Author:  [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2002, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722/5 "2002-06-13T07:17:50Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by bibliophage \*
> **Chocolate, when not excessively sweetened. The Aztecs drank unsweetened hot chocolate, just as we would drink black coffee. Sometimes it was flavored with hot peppers, for what must be an interesting combination.**
If you want an idea of what it tasted like, try chicken mole the next time you’re at a Mexican restaurant (uh, that’s pronounced ‘moh-lay’ but I don’t know how to do an accented ‘e’. Sorry).
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2002, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722/6 "2002-06-13T08:00:18Z")
é
Just type é, or reply to this post.
[Spanky has created this page of codes and mnemonics.](http://home.earthlink.net/~awinkelried/keyboard_shortcuts.html)
So I can say © 2002 Amalgamated, Incorporated.
Except I won’t.
😃
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### Author:  [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2002, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722/7 "2002-06-13T11:49:41Z")
The thing to remember that often bitter foodstuffs in a culture’s diet were often considered to be medicinal in nature, and were eaten to be part of a healthy diet.
Bitter melon (_Momordica charantia_) is certainly one of those foodstuffs that are on that list, and for good reason. Its bitterness comes from its high level of quinine, which is popularly known and used as a cure and preventative for malaria.\* Quinine is also known in our culture as the additive to tonic water to give it its bitter taste. Mmmm… Gin & Tonics…
The thing is, one of the reasons we have the ability to taste bitterness is that often most naturally occuring toxins have a bitter taste. We are not drawn to bitter flavors, and many of these particular foodstuffs are “acquired tastes.”
- Deseran, Sara; Saveur Magazine, #34, April 1999
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### Author:  [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2002, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722/8 "2002-06-13T23:12:06Z")
Thanks for the tip, Derleth! I’ve bookmarked the page; it will be a great help.
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### Author:  [@Tsubaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tsubaki)
#### Post date: [June 13, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722/9 "2002-06-13T23:35:37Z")
There are a number of bitter foods in Japanese cuisine, most of which escape me at the moment since I don’t eat them.
Goya is one (maybe that is the bitter melon? Shaped like a warty cucumber). Certain fish, also.
There are many bitter chocolates over here, which aren’t labelled as such and thus give me a rude shock every so often.
Most people drink their coffee black and unsweetened. And the best-selling beer over here is Asahi Super-dry which is REALLY bitter (but great in the summer!).
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### Author:  [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2002, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cultral-foods/113722/10 "2002-06-14T00:28:49Z")
What about lemon? That msut be very widely eaten.