Re: Stem vegetables

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On Mon, 03 Jul 2006 07:53:06 -0400, Jenny <lottadata@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

Quentin Grady wrote:

This is most interesting. What determines whether a particular
vegetable is popular in a particular country?

Re Turnips, it turns out that there is a chemical in turnips which some
people can taste and others can't. If you can taste it, you aren't going
to want to eat a turnip even if you are starving. I can taste it, and
have been in situations where if the choice was turnips or starve, I'd
starve.

Perhaps some ethnic groups, like, say Scots, don't taste that particular
chemical?

G'day G'day Jenny,

This seems likely. Some people have a gene which leads to a
particular chemical seeming bitter that others find tasteless.

People are buying
black kale and other greens that they wouldn't have bought in the past
because they are now perceived as being yuppie health food.

The problem with the kale sold in the U.S. is that it has a texture very
much like rubber sheeting. Knowing how healthy it is, I've tried
preparing it in many different forms, but the rubbery texture has kept
it from being a family favorite.

In the Farmers' Market there are often three or more kales for sale.
The ones that sell best are those with the softest texture.

And an essential component of a haggis dinner.

That makes sense to me. The alkaline vegetables help when dealing
with stronger flavours. It is all part of learning from the success of
others.

Which gets us into a discussion about the British love for organ meats
that Americans consider offal. Try finding kidneys in a U.S. supermarket!

I gather what we call lambs fry isn't even recognizable to most
Americans.

--Jenny

Best wishes,


--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin
.

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