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Wednesday, 24 November 2010

Brussels sprouts...love them or hate them?

Evil sprouts!
Being a vegetarian, I have to by default, eat a lot of vegetables. Try as I might though, there are a few vegetables I just can not bring myself to like, no matter how many times I try them. One of those is the Brussels sprout. To me, the sprout is a true abombination of the vegetable kingdom!

To look at, the humble sprout is really quite cute. A tiny baby cabbage, round and perfectly formed with crisp, green layers of tightly packed leaves. But once cooked, it transforms into an evil, foul-tasting nugget of repugnance! Sorry sprout-lovers, but I obviously have superior phenylthiocarbamide receptors to you!

Here's the science bit: Sprouts and other brassicas contain a chemical similar to phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) which only some people can taste. This chemical is also present in some poisonous plants, so it makes sense to be able to taste it and not eat potentially poisonous foliage...that's my excuse anyway!

Want the proof? Here it is: Scientists discover that Neanderthals hated Brussel sprouts.
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3 comments:

  1. Unknown29/11/10 11:34 am

    Spare a thought for the poor, unloved brussels sprout! They just want to be your friend! Over on crumbs we are going to do a brussels sprouts carnival on December 12th - loads of recipes to convert you (we hope). Brussels sprouts don't have a face - but if they did, it would be crying!
    http://crumbsfeedyourfamily.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lisa @FacelessFood29/11/10 3:50 pm

    Hehe! I'm hoping that the NSPCS (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Sprouts) don't spot my post! Good luck with the carnival.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous12/11/11 2:57 am

    You're just not trying to like them. BS's only taste like arm pit if you over cook them. Lightly braised so that they are a bit crunchy brings out their nutty flavor. Anybody who states they can never like them is talking BS.

    ReplyDelete

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