BITTER TASTE
There is so much to learn from the ways in which spice is used traditionally. Turmeric is fed to children in milk from the youngest age. It is at once health remedy, and a soft way to get a young palate to acclimatise to both spice and to bitter taste: both important elements in traditional Indian cooking across all of the country’s regions, and out into the diaspora.
Read on below to find out a little more about why bitter taste matters.
WHY BITTER TASTE MATTERS:
Ayurveda is the ancient Indian system of medicine. As a system, it looks at whole body health. Ayurveda looks at the whole body as taking in the physical, the metaphysical, and the emotional. Bitterness is one of the prime tastes that supports the gut system, which Ayurveda considers as the foundation of whole body health. But bitterness isn’t just about the chemical and nutritional impact - it’s also about taste.
The importance of taste is in creating the connection between the sensory body and the digestive system. Bitter taste signals to the digestive system through the sensory body. This signalling preps the digestive system to perform its function, resulting in a more efficient physical process that results in a greater nutritional outcome.
Following this philosophical approach to health, a great part of the benefit of turmeric comes from its bitter taste. Consuming it in a milk drink ceases to make as much sense if sweeteners like honey are added to dilute its impact.