Bitter Explorations

Do you like chocolate, coffee or beer? Three of the most delicious bitter things we eat and drink regularly.

I often find myself at loose ends when it comes to discovering new wild foods and what to do with them. Substituting them like for like in recipes is a great way to introduce wild foods into your diet but if like myself you like to experiment with new foods then you might like to try a different approach. Having been really inspired by cooking bitter greens Radicchio and Treviso, various conversations and youtube videos, I decided that I too would like to contribute to making bitter more exciting. Here is what I came up with.

Guy Singh-Watson recommends balancing bitter with sharp, salty and sweet flavours. He mentions thyme going very well with bitter and that dairy generally tames bitterness. This was a fantastic starting point.

I read a lot about people learning to love bitterness in food, particularly bitter greens. Personally, when I have had a fatty meal I find my body craving bitter greens. The bitterness in greens comes from chemical compounds called glucosinolates. They act as a digestive aid and stimulate the secretion of digestive fluids, so it is no surprise. These plants are worth celebrating for what they are, compliment but do not disguise.

This entries plant of choice is the Dandelion which was stewed down with white onion stuffed into peppers with rice, feta and thyme. The syrup is a blackberry vinegar reduction with a squeeze of lemon and brown sugar. It works!