Bitterness

Common card · No. 290193

Bitterness, also known as bitter, is one of the most sensitive of tastes, and many experience it as unpleasant, sharp, or off-putting, but it is sometimes desirable and intentionally added via various bittering agents. Common bitter foods and drinks include coffee, unsweetened cocoa, South American mate, coca tea, Momordica charantia, unripe olives, citrus peel, some varieties of cheese, many plants in the Brassicaceae family, Taraxacum greens, Marrubium vulgare, wild chicory, and escarole. The ethanol in alcoholic beverages tastes bitter, as do the additional bittering ingredients found in some alcoholic beverages, including hops in beer and gentian in bitters. Quinine is also known for its bitter taste and is found in tonic water. Bitterness is of interest to those studying evolution, as well as to various health researchers as a large number of naturally-occurring bitter compounds are known to be toxic. The ability to detect bitter-tasting, toxic compounds at low thresholds is thought...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Adriaen Brouwer, Public domain