For all the Brussels Sprouts Haters - what don't you like about them?

Question

I know that many love Brussels Sprouts but they are also a vegetable that has a long reputation of being detested by some I guess similar to cilantro and the classic vegetable that no one wants to try. I know that they have discovered a gene which makes them taste intensely bitter to some (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2011/nov/01/brussel-sprout-gene) but is this the reason you hate Brussels sprouts? For all the Brussels sprouts haters, what is it that you hate?

Answer

This is true. Unfortunately, sometime people cannot handle the truth. :)

One time someone said that she could not taste bitterness from a certain vegetable, and I said it is due to a gene difference and that she cannot taste. She took it as a personal attack (which makes no sense to me) and responded very aggressively.

I hope you don't get that.

For me, I love brussels sprouts. Another thing to notice is that many people taste for bitterness goes down as they age. What tastes very bitter at young age may only taste mildly bitter. This explains why many people starts to like to eat broccoli, brussel sprouts...etc as they get older.

Answer

I don't know about the "bitter gene" but for most people who are averse to Brussels sprouts, IMO the reason is the same as why so many folks don't like broccoli and liver -- those items turn from good to really bad if they are overcooked, and it is easy to overcook them, taking only a minute or two too long on heat. On top of that, many/most of us grew up with mothers who weren't skilled cooks and if they even prepared those items they overcooked them -- same problem in other settings such as school cafeterias. Consequently many if not most people have formed their negative taste/opinion about sprouts, liver, etc. based on poorly prepared examples. Is it any wonder?

Answer

I never thought sprouts were bitter. Rather, I thought they were boring. I would chew them and chew them and try swallowing them without gagging. That was back here on the east coast.

These days, I love quality sprouts. Most San Francisco restaurants roast/grill/fry sprouts to a high order. I go out of my way to order them when I'm in town.

Answer

I adore roasted brussel sprouts but even a fan like me doesn't care for their lingering odor. They taste great but I don't want my home to smell. So, we roast, enjoy and wash the pan almost immediately and any scrapes go directly to the compost pile buried deep!

Answer

They are too much like cabbage. Cabbage used to mess with my stomach, but Mom would force me to eat them anyway. My change of life also changed my stomach and now I love them, especially broiled. But I totally understand and wouldn't question someone who'd refuse them. They are NOT easy to digest.

Answer

They're bitter, and I don't like that "green" cabbage taste. I despised them as a kid and only just tried them again a few weeks ago. I ate them, but their flavor needed to be masked with a sauce.

Answer

Arugula has the same bitterness to my palate but they're not the same family, so that's odd. But either one is like eating a plate of weeds to me. 

Huh. I googled and it seems I was wrong. Arugula IS in the same family!

Answer

I didn't like them when I was little because I was probably served them overcooked, and I hated the smell... but they never tasted bitter to me. I also hated most of the brassica family for the same reason, although broccoli was doubly evil because of the texture. Interestingly enough, a few years ago, I started craving them and now Brussels, and cabbage and broccoli and cauliflower are among my favorite vegetables. I'm in my 20s now so maybe there is something about our taste buds that change with age? 
It may also be of note that the shift also occurred when I started living on my own and began shopping and cooking for myself. I remember coming home from the farmers market with so many vegetables that I thought I didn't like, but had been tempted to buy because they looked so pretty!

Answer

I don't like the taste.

Answer

When I was a kid, I did eat cabbage (reluctantly), but REALLY disliked Brussels Sprouts. My mother, who tried to get me to eat everything, couldn't understand how I could eat one and not the other. I told her it was as if someone had miniaturized a cabbage, but all the taste of that cabbage was concentrated in this smaller version. She accepted that explanation and never tried to get me to eat them again. For the last 30 years or so, I've grown to like them a lot; especially roasted with a few drops of balsamic vineger.

Answer

Well...my son just had a science project. He had some kind of paper that we were supposed to put on our tongue and see if we could taste anything. Yep...disgusting...bitter! Our whole family could taste it, but my sister couldn't taste it at all.

I have no idea what my ability to taste bitterness has to do with liking Brussels sprouts, but I LOVE THEM! I'm also a huge lover of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage - all good in my world. I don't care if they're roasted / boiled / grilled / raw...whatever...bring 'em on!

Answer

I think they're bitter almost to the point of sour and always have. But after trying them majorly roasted and with a lot of strong flavors with them (capers, anchovies, lots of salt, bacon, whatever), I started to like them more. I still can't eat them just boiled and plain, but I can eat them roasted. I think it's something that's an acquired taste for some people and you have to work pretty hard to get your palate to like them. I worked on it and now I really do like them, but I can still taste the bitter and sour taste in them, it's just that my taste buds became acclimated to the taste and now I enjoy it.

Answer

I've always loved them but my husband is a life-long BS Hater. Then I found the 5-star recipe for Roasted BS and he loved them roasted! (I've been able to convert him to many good veggies over the course of our marriage). We scarfed a healthy serving, thrilled that we would now add Roasted BS to our repertoire.

Until about an hour later... We both burped the nastiest BS burps for HOURS afterwards. Awful awful. The burps were worse tasting than the vegetable itself. We're so disappointed. We MAY try them again after some beano but I'm not hopeful.

Answer

I hated them growing up...could not take the gross bitter rotten taste....As I grew up I always wanted to try them again and bought several batches only to let them sit in the refrigerator without any attempt to try them. Last week I got my gumption up and cut them in halves and steam fried them, added olive oil and garlic...they still tasted gross! My grown up daughter suggested some balsamic dressing on them to counteract the bitter. i did that in the pan and still hated it left them in the pan when guests came over for dinner..one helpful friend put my mistake in a serving dish on the table much to my horror!
Well let me tell you they were a hit! The bowl was empty
with people asking me for my secret! I tasted my daughter's serving and it was GOOD!!!

Answer

Bitter gourd is bitter and I love it deep fried. Brussel sprouts aren't bitter to me. They just don't taste very good.

Answer

A French housewife found a simple way to eliminate almost completely the nasty bitter taste of Brussels sprouts:

Cut the sprouts into quarters. Boil 1 lb. / 1/2 kg of sprouts in 1 1/2 quarts / 1 1/2 liters of water containing 1/2 tsp. of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) for 10 minutes. (Not longer than 10 minutes, or the sprouts will turn to mush.) Drain and rinse the sprouts. Boil the sprouts in fresh, lightly salted water until just tender (about 20 minutes). 

For over 30 years I'd searched for a way to reduce the bitter taste of Brussels sprouts; this is it.

Answer

I love Brussels sprouts boiled/steamed with lots of butter. But saw all the roasted Brussels recipe and thought I would just try something different. My husband nor I either one could eat them. Dry, tough and rubbery.

Going to stick to steamed. My fav! LOVE Brussels sprouts!

Answer

Trader Joe's has started selling Shredded Brussels Sprouts---and they don't taste like Brussels sprouts. They are a perfect vegetable to stir-fry and the flavor is much more delicate than the whole sprouts (magic). If you don't have a TJ you can run the Brussels sprouts through your Cuisinart or even slice them up on a cutting board just as you do mushrooms---I did a whole bag of Brussels sprouts in 4 minutes---try this once, and stir-fry them. Shredded, they seem like a whole other vegetable.

Answer

Why do I hate Brussel sprouts?

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For all the Brussels Sprouts Haters - what don't you like about them?

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