I meant to answer this. Asparagus varies. The fresh white asparagus in Germany isn’t bitter. But a lot of what’s sold in the US is a little bitter, in my experience. Artichokes aren’t bitter, and in fact, taste a little like they contain an artificial sweetness. Same with Jerusalem artichokes, which i think got the name because of the similarity in taste.
I suspect my perception of the bitterness of vegetables is common among kids, who do have more sensitive raw perception in almost every way than adults.
Of course. I love sour. I always have. My mother says when i was a toddler my parents used to give me the lemon slice from their drinks to chew on. And as an adult, i do find that a little edge of bitterness adds depth to food, and i enjoy it. And of course, many people like capsaicin-spicy, which seems bizarre and unhinged to me (you enjoy pain?) but objectively, it’s clearly true.
And tastes change over time. That’s partly because we become less sensitive to them, but partly because our preferences change. I don’t like “sweet” as much as i did as a kid. (i think this is common.) I used to be strongly adverse to mustard. I’m pretty sure that’s why i refused to eat at McDonald’s as a kid. Now i like a tiny bit of mustard in some food, and love wasabi, which has a similar flavor. I think that’s mostly because my sensation of mustard is less overwhelming than it was when i was younger, but also because my tastes have changed.
With my wife it wasn’t nausea relief, it was just a strong craving. She didn’t ask for anything she wouldn’t normally like. She was very lucky in that she had no nausea with either kid.
I can eat the green ones if they are fresh. Red peppers, cooked peppers, and old raw peppers all develop a really nasty flavor. (And in excess, make me physically ill.)
Some artichokes have antioxidant and cholesterol-lowering effects, and one in particular, a compound dubbed cynarin, has the unusual effect of making foods eaten after a bite of artichoke taste sweet. Cynarin apparently inhibits the sweet receptors on our taste buds, so when it’s swept off the tongue by the next bite, the receptors start up again, and we notice the contrast. Because they distort the flavor of other foods, artichokes are thought to be an inappropriate accompaniment to fine wines.
Jerusalem artichokes are also called “sunchokes.” From the same book:
It’s pleasantly moist, crunchy, and sweet when raw, and becomes soft and sweet after brief cooking. When cooked for 12-24 hours at a low temperature, around 200°F/93°C, sunchoke carbohydrates are largely converted to digestible fructose, and the flesh becomes sweet and translucently brown, like a vegetable aspic.
You’re right that the “artichoke” part of “Jerusalem artichoke” comes from the similarity of flavor. The “Jerusalem” part comes from the fact that the plant is a type of sunflower. The Italian word for “sunflower” is “girasole” (meaning “look at the sun”). Over time, the pronunciation of the word in English changed to “Jerusalem.”
As a New Zealander who grew up with Marmite (and prefers it to any other spread, not just yeast extract but anything) I am pleased to see it even talked about. Most people only know Vegemite or the UK Marmite (which is less viscous and looks weird to me).
You can probably find some specialised import store local to you that will have it, but if not:
As is slightly more obvious in the French word for sunflower, “tournesol.” (Which is also Professor Calculus’s last name in the original “Tintin” comics.)
Years ago, I found a small jar of Marmite at Natural Grocers for $2, and thought, “Why not?” I ate it as instructed, mixed with butter and spread on crackers, and while it wasn’t bad, it seemed to coat my GI tract and I could taste it for DAYS AFTERWARDS.
I had the same experience with Boursin, which a favorite YouTuber, Pressure Luck Cooking, uses extensively. Cream cheese with appropriate spices is an acceptable substitute, and doesn’t do that to me.
I’ve never tried it, but the wiki article describes it as “New Zealand Marmite is described as having a “weaker” or “less tangy” flavour than the British version.”
Either way, we all prefer what we grew up with. I’ve tried Vegemite and was struck by its grainy texture. Marmite (UK) is obviously completely smooth.
They’re both great, in this USians opinion. I was introduced to these spreads via Marmite. Marmite is a bit sweeter/less bitter, more spiced or vegetal, and has more of that treacly texture. Vegemite is less flavored, more pure yeast, with a stronger bitter note and a texture more akin to peanut butter maybe? I buy Vegemite here, but any will do for that umami crave. Tangentially, I’m suddenly getting a craving for Branson Pickle.
Is everyone using marmite/vegemite as a flavour enhancer for stews etc? Makes a good stock substitute. I don’t use it in everything, but if I taste a dish which is lacking umami, it’s a good pick me up.
Having tasted all three many times, I (personally) disagree with that assessment. But I am in that group that find the slightest taste of cucumber disgusting, so maybe my taste buds are off.
I haven’t tried Aussiemite or Dick Smiths’s Ozemite - both Australian owned and produced products.
Oziemite was announced in 1999, but not produced until 2012 - after AussieMite was on the shelves. Dick Smith is an Australian entrepreneur (and personality) who took exception to the fact that Kraft Foods (producer of Vegemite) was part-owned by Phillip Morris (the tobacco manufacturer) at the time. It seems to be part of a pattern of Dick Smith making an announcement (e.g. towing icebergs into Sydney Harbour) that either didn’t eventuate or turned into a April Fools Day hoax. As a teenager into electronics, I loved his Electronics stores and mail-order catalogues.
I was with a tour run by the National Space Society (or something like that.) A busload of geeks. Key being bus. There was a Denny’s attached to the motel we were staying at. Nothing else in walking distance. My introduction to the tyranny of the automobile. Having just spent time in the centres of San Francisco, Boston and Pittsburg, this was a bit of a shock. Then again, this part of the trip was with my own money.
