If I consume something that has more than a hint of smoke flavoring, I get a reaction of mild nausea. Last night, I heated up the wrong freezer food, and started to eat what I thought was a beef stew but was, in fact, a smoked tofu stew… the reaction started before I figured out my mistake. (Hey, I was tired.) So I don’t think it’s psychosomatic. Mr. Mallard loves the smoked tofu, so clearly it’s not an inherently defective product.
Looking online, all I see is “OMG! Chemicals!!1!” and other pseudo-scientific nonsense. Can someone point me to something reliable that might explain the reaction?
I don’t seem to react to naturally smoked (i.e. wood-smoked) products unless the smokiness is enhanced with extras. Packaging doesn’t really allow me to discern which flavoring agent is the problem. Is this common? unique? An allergy? A sign of incipient death by taste-bud cancer?
You are having a perfectly natural reaction to that vile substance. If used at all, the smallest drop is the only reasonable quantity. That some others may be able to consume greater quantities of that abomination unto food without getting sick means nothing.
MSG, perhaps? I have a sensitivity to it. I have said that on this board before and peeps went crrazzzy!!! Apparently the latest studies say it does not cause probs. But…it did to me. Just saying!
Interesting thought. I’ve never had a problem with MSG (my father used to claim it gave him headaches). Perhaps I’ll try an experiment to control fo that.
It might depend on which liquid smoke product is being used. Wright’s Hickory Liquid Smoke is literally just condensed hickory smoke - just smoke and water. It’s the only one I’ll use (and never more than a teaspoon. Wright’s Apple Liquid Smoke has other ingredients (natural smoke flavor, red apple flavor, natural maple syrup flavor, and natural applewood smoke flavor), as does Colgin Liquid Smoke (water, natural hickory smoke flavor, vinegar, molasses, caramel color and salt). I’m not sure what other brands are out there and what ingredients they may use.
ETA: As you can see, the two major brands of liquid smoke contain no MSG.
I’m guessing you’re tasting a “liquid smoke” that has loads of flavorings in it, and you’re probably sensitive to one of the flavoring agents. Artificial maple flavoring, for example, is often achieved using sotolon. Personally, I think the stuff smells awful…I had a coworker once who was very fond of artificially-flavored instant maple oatmeal, and the smell would almost gag me. In large concentrations, such as the overuse of liquid smoke, it would probably be worse.
I know of one local place that tries to imitate the smoked flavor of grilled foods by pouring in loads of liquid smoke. I’m confident that it’s the real stuff – I’ve seen their ingredient lists – but it’s absolutely overwhelming.
a flavor enhancer that contains Tyramine, or a process that produces tyramine. Yeast Extract is a common enhancer that has quite a lot of Tyramine, and also, by the way, contains glutamates (yes, as in monosodium glutamate). Tyramine is implicated in migraines and other quite bad headaches, and can also cause nausea. It is also present in highest quantities in fermented foods and sauces such as tamari or miso, and aged foods such as sharp cheeses and cured meats, as well as red wine.
I’m aware of several liquid smoke brands that contain yeast extract and/or other yeast derived flavor enhancement.
In addition tyramine and glutamates can interact badly with a few medications. For example, anyone who takes an MAO inhibitor is instructed to avoid foods high in tyramine, as they can literally be lethal (dangerously spiking blood pressure). Also since St. John’s Wort appears to have MAO inhibitory properties to some degree, eating high tyramine foods while taking it could have similar effects. If you’re taking any herbal supplements regularly, look into those interactions as well.
And then there’s just plain old allergic reactions, which can certainly include nausea, and are common when dealing with any kind of flavor enhancer, again depending on ingredients.
Hope that’s helpful. I agree wholeheartedly with a previous poster, find liquid smoke that is smoke and water and nothing else. Or else just assume it contains one or more flavor enhancers that might not sit well with your metabolism.
Anything with liquid smoke in it tastes terrible to me. I like real smoked meat but I can tell the difference if it is in food. I learned that long ago. I even tried the expensive stuff that is supposed to taste like the real thing, it was not any better. I also do not care for Hickory smoked foods, I much prefer maple or apple smoked food. I used thorny plum to smoke one time, that is good too.
cordwainer, thank you. This is useful. It gives me some things to pay more attention to, at any rate. I generally just avoid smoke-flavored foods, as that makes life easiest, but this gives me a couple of more directed questions to ask.