The nightshade family also gives us a lot of important vegetables. Potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers being the most common but others as well.
And then there’s Brassica oleracea, where it’s not even a family, but one single species that brings us a heap of classic veggies including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, and gai lan. If you expand to its family you can add turnip, bok choy, radish, wasabi, as well as the majority of source vegetables in the eponymous “vegetable oil”.
Are you saying a vegetable fried this rice?
Ah, the old lemm-a-roo
I don’t get it.
Does this help?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switcheroo
It’s kind of an internet culture thing to respond like that…
No I’m familiar with the ol’ Reddit switcheroo. I don’t understand what exactly is being switched in this case.
Yeah, it’s a bit of a stretch here. The comment is intentionally mixing things up for comedic effect, but it’s not a direct switch of anything…
That’s an existential crisis I’ve had after starting to eat vegan. Suddenly everything in your cupboard is a plant, with the exception of salt and sometimes mushrooms.
It’s just like: I’ll now eat this noodle-shaped plant with this pureed plant and this protein-rich plant and I’ll also throw in some tasty plant shreds. Maybe I should also have some plant leaves with a dressing out of plant oil, fermented plant juice and this plant seed paste.
But then I realized that meat, eggs, cheese, milk, and even mushrooms, they’re all just processed/digested plants, too. So, there’s only plants and salt. Which really didn’t make the existential crisis any better, but at least we’re all in it together. 🙃
All beings, including us, are descendants of the first single-celled being that appeared on Earth billions of years ago. We share 75% of our DNA with a potato (some people which I know, even more)
So that’s why some vegetables sometimes have that wasabi taste to them.
And Cavolo Romano!
Also my lovely Cucurbitales, from cucumbers over pumpkins up to melons.
Brussel sprouts? That’s not a vegetable, that’s heresy! Awful stuff. The rest can be good, depending on the context though.
For what it’s worth, though I don’t think I’ve ever had them in any form, I’ve heard that the poor reputation of Brussels sprouts is due to the popular way of cooking them in the '30s through '80s being to boil the shit out of them. They’re supposed to be quite good if you cook them the right way.
They’ve also had a lot of the bitterness bred out of them since the 90s. The ones I’ve eaten recently are less bad than I remember as a kid.
They’re still bad tho
They should never have been consumed bitter. When they are frozen the bitter substance is destroyed. In former times this implied being harvested only after the first night frosts in autumn, never before. Nowadays there might be some more artificial ways to achieve the same result more reliable. (Perhaps by breeding, too, I’m not sure about this part.)
Taste changes with age, too. The younger, the sweeter and the older, the bitterer people prefer.
Don’t forget the brassicas too
The culinary history of humanity is just one long dare about eating the killer plants.
Thanks to all our forefather who ate enough poisonous squashes for us to enjoy squash soup and pumpkin pies.
I love all those vegetables but if I had to give up allium or nightshades, I’d give up nightshades.
I love garlic as much as the next guy, but I don’t think I could imagine food without potatoes
Tobacco is also in this family
I once had a coworker who just took a bite out of a raw onion right in front of me. They were completely unfazed, like it was an apple or something. I’m still a little emotionally scarred.
My grandfather used to eat vidalia onions like apples. They’re pretty sweet & mild.
Do you happen to work at a mid-sized paper company?
No, that was a potato… or a beet.
But you gotta admit, it’s a very Creed thing to do
I had a surly paternal grandmother who seemed to revel in making the lives of children miserable.
When I was about four years old, I asked for a snack, and she gave me a raw onion.
I sat at the kitchen table and ate the entire fucking thing like it was the sweetest piece of fruit known to history, staring her in the eye the whole time.
If I had been just a little bit older and thought of it, I would’ve asked her for another one.
She died when I was seven. My reaction to this, as she lived in Washington State, was, “Does that mean we get to see Mount Saint Helens?” as the volcano had gone off just a couple weeks prior.
That would have given me stomach cramps that made me pray for death.
I once knew a guy who peeled and ate a full garlic like one would do with an orange or mandarin, while walking and talking casually.
Like a clove, or the entire head of garlic?
When I was a child we often had peeled garlic on the table for me to snack on it during dinner. I must have smelled hideously.
There are actually onions that you can do that with. I think the soil where those are grown is low on sulfer or something so the onion cant make the chemical responsible for making your eyes water.
Supportive link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidalia_onion
I’ll usually eat a could wee chunks of an onion after I dice it up, and the other day I was surprised by how palatable the onion was that I was eating. Normally I enjoy eating a couple tiny pieces raw, but this was an onion I could see myself taking a big ol bite out of
1015
Sweet onions were consider a desert by the Romans and they would eat them like we do apples.
Was he Eastern European?
No, I don’t think so. He was a younger guy from the southern US, if I remember correctly. Is that something east europeans do on the regular??
Younger guy from the southern US here, I have done this just to fuck with people. I’m just not very sensitive to the “bite” onions are supposed to have. I can chop quite a few of them before my eyes start to water.
Your cutting technique can make a huge difference too, avoid cutting the base and there’s less of that sticking l chemical released
It sounds like an old wives tale, and maybe I’m naturally resistant, but if I consistently press my tongue to the roof of my mouth as I chop onions, I do not cry.
Anecdotal, of course.
As an eastern european, we eat everything with onions and garlic. Hell, I even eat onions on their own time to time, it tastes good.
Southern guy probably was eating a Vidalia onion. The soil is low in sulfur, I believe, and has a more neutral acidity, so the onion is pretty uniquely sweet. I heard one older southerner call them dirt apples.
Allium family also make the world nicer, even those for the kitchen have nice flowers if planted.
Holy, that’s so pretty! Would love to have some in my garden.
There are several webs of ornamental allium which show how to plant and care for them, the different species, etc.
And the flowers taste delicious!
Wow!! Do they grow that spherical or are those groomed??
Either way, beautiful!!
They grow mostly spherical, but depending of the species of ornamental allium. Also a normal onion has a beautifull flower if you plant it.
Onion
Garlic
When someone says they hate onions you know they are the most boring person ever.
Some people have intolerances to onions, and I feel so, so sorry for them. I can’t think of many meals where onions don’t improve the flavour.
It’s hard. I still eat garlic on occasion, even though it makes me sick. Luckily, I’ve always had a bad reaction with an onion, so my body rejects the flavor too
What about the dried spices?
I can have a bit of onion powder, but dried onions wreck my stomach
Oh that just sucks. Scallions too?
Yup! Those are just the tops of an onion plant
Cooked onions are fine, but raw red onions in salads give me terrible headaches, I always feel bad picking them out.
The first time I got covid it really messed with my smell and taste. Any kind of onions just smelled and tasted completely rotten, even onion powder. Ruined all my favorite foods, even if it was just a small part of the meal. I had just made some pickled red onions and I couldn’t eat them for like 6-8 months. Worst part of covid for me by far.
I like the taste of onions, but I hate the structure of them cooked. EDIT: and yeah, I am pretty boring.
Dice or mince them as fine as possible. They will just fade into nothing
Nothing but flavor 😎
Lies. This only results in more disgusting crunching
Crunching???
What are you being served with finely sliced onions that crunch?
I hate onions
Me too. Gives you the farts and they taste like copper. My mum used to put it in everything and i always disliked it. Since cook at home i never use them in and never will.
Did you know some people are allergic to onions? Very sad.
That would suck. Sad sad life without the Allum family
Not allergic, but the very thought of onions (and garlic) in pregnancy made me feel sick. Smelling them or seeing them cooked (with their translucent little stripes) would have me heaving. All the foods I love have onions and garlic in. It was awful.
It’s odd, after years of washing dishes for a job I can’t stand the smell of garlic or onions when it is coming from the grease left over on a plate or cook wear, but when they are first being cooked the aroma makes my mouth water.
The nose, she is fickle.
I get that. I’ve been trying not to use the wooden boards for cutting them as it gives off such a weird smell when I wash them.
I don’t mind the flavor, but the texture mixes well with absolutely nothing.
At a small enough size they don’t have a texture just kind of float into the background. Got to dice those babies
They’re the worst when diced, especially in something like stir fry. Your chewing your rice/veggie similar consistency mix then all the sudden you get either a crunchy flake (for uncooked onions) or a tiny piece of wet paper (for cooked).
I realize this rant is childish, but my sensory issues make this a big deal for me and I need to put my foot down… even if it causes my heel to light up.
You don’t understand. It needs to be POWDER for me to enjoy something with onions in it
Cooked onions, I suppose I’d agree. They’re just kinda mushy. Raw onions on the other hand have a great crunchy texture to me.
Thick sliced raw onion rings on burgers fluffs the whole thing up a bit and adds some airy crunch.
They add a nice crunchy texture to Greek salad as well.
Cut into lengthwise strips, they’re similarly fun in stir-fry if you don’t cook them too long.
Diced on top of a tostada or taco or bagel with cream cheese and lox, they add a little crunchy something but admittedly this could be also be achieved with pretty much anything not-squishy.
This is awesome. lol. I never once thought of adding air to my burgers. If I want crunch I’d add some bacon or even curly fries
Haha yeah, bacon always wins. Potato chips on a sandwich are nice for that same kinda fluffy crunch layer.
Fine dice and a little caramelization removes all noticeable texture in anything chewable. Improves the flavor too.
For garlic, you either roast or mince, both of which soften the texture way down
As a kid I used to hate them, now I have them all the time!
I still remember my first burger with all the condiments on it, i was a ketchup and cheese only kid. It absolutely blew my mind back then lol
I remember my first burger, I didn’t like them because of the lettuce, then one day I was hanging out with my mom and her colleagues and we go to a nice burger place, mom tells me to not make a fuss and eat the burger. I didn’t want to look like an annoying kid so I took a bite, what a BANGER!!! I still remember it! I obviously devoured the whole thing but I’ve basically been cool with lettuce and onions since! I’m still nostalgic about that place, I never went back sadly…
Imagine a more boring person than somebody who judges people because of what plants they do or don’t like eating
i hate onions because of their texture in the food. i want food that has the added taste of onions without the onions, or just have them be very small.
I like onions, but the texture can be a big problem for me, depending on the day. Doesn’t matter how it’s prepared: raw, sauteed, cooked, cooked within an inch of its life, does not make a difference
I love all onions. Except red ones. Fuck 'em.
I usually think that they’re probably not very knowledgeable about what goes in their food. It’s frankly very difficult to avoid onion entirely.
Or they are a super taster. I love spices, curry, cumin, hot peppers (even Carolina reaper), and have been to twenty five countries but onion is fucking disgusting and I never ever want to eat one.
Dude, just admit you’re boring
My mother does not like onions.
I am glad I did not inherit that horrific genetic abnormality.
My gf does not like the texture of onions.
The taste is fine with her, so I think I’m gonna have to get used to cooking for her with minced onions…
My mom was (and is) a terrible cook in many other ways, but the ‘I’m not making you anything with onions in it’ as a kid kind of sucked.
I’m just glad my grandmother was a good cook.
I feel bad for my brother right now, since his gf cannot have onions and garlic due to a food intolerance. At least spring onions are still tolerable, but still…
Garlic and onions are the basis for so many things that we cook at my house. I can’t imagine not having them in my diet.
I don’t like onions. It’s literally the one food I do not like. I’ve tried them many times, many ways, and still nope.
Raw and cooked? Maybe try it minced, cooked extremely soft and mixed into a sauce so there are no visible pieces?
I will use it to cook in soups and such, but otherwise, no thank you. I’ve replaced it with leeks and shallots.
Shallots and leeks are nice! Welcome to the Allium family:)
I just tied them to my belt, which was the custom at the time.
Onions, garlic, other onions, other other onions
Heh! The pointy ones are shallots. I agree that Chinese chives or European Leeks or something equally different would have better rounded out the set.
There used to be an garlic restaurant near my old house and basically EVERYTHING was garlic based. It was heaven.
Guess what. They had garlic ice cream and it was DELICIOUS. Nothing like I thought it would be. It was light and sort of fruity and sweet.
Goddamit I miss that place.
No way
Straight up.
I want garlic ice cream now
Me too.
I’d guess the garlic was deeply roasted until brown and sweet for the ice cream?
You are probably correct. Slowly… veeeeerrrry slowly.
When I first started to cook for myself, I ignored using onions and garlic because I didn’t think they would make that big a difference 🤡
I always thought onions and garlic made breath bad so I don’t put them on anything and I don’t give them to anyone.
Their foil is pretty good at keeping stuff fresh too (as well as making good anti-mind-control hats)
Sucks to have IBS, it’s hard to avoid alliums…
Me too, and I just suffer for it haha.
I know it’s stupid, but I just can’t give up good food. My stomach will hurt so bad it feels like I have back problems or something and I’m still not eating spaghetti without my garlic bread.
I don’t eat the good stuff constantly, most of my meals are bland. When I get a chance though I don’t pass on it.
How sensitive are you? I’ve found I struggle with them a bit if I eat lots suddenly after not eating them for a while, but if I continue, it tends to be fine. My guess is that the reason it is inconsistent for me is related to fluctuations in gut bacteria partially due to what I am eating…
I know actual IBS is no joke, but I think it would be interesting to determine your threshold and see if you can change it at all. For example, eat a pea-sized piece of onion and wait a couple days. No effect, start eating a pea-sized piece of onion every day and wait for cumulative effects (a week or two?). Still no effect, add another piece for one day, go back to regular dose for a couple days, etc. When you reach the point where it starts to cause discomfort, back off a bit and try to push it again in a week or two.
I’ve never really tried to change it, I adapted as best as I could.
I’m intolerant to most fodmap (lactose, mannitol, fructans, gos and fructose). I also noticed that gluten can wreck me if I eat too much of it, fatty food can trigger me as well as alcohol.
It was hard to get used to it but now it’s a question of self regulation. I skip most of the things that trigger me and indulge sometimes, often a bit too much and I have to face the consequences for up to a week or so. Lactose is the easiest to deal with because of lactase, the rest not so much… I guess at least I’m not celiac or suffering of Crohn’s, so that’s that I guess.
What’s this “almost”, please?
I would certainly not enjoy garlic in my chocolate cake
Without going too Wittgenstein on you, I read it a bit differently, and I would enjoy onion jam on my chocolate cake.
But that garlic when it’s onion cake though
Cake has layers. Onion has layers.
∵ Cake is onion.
Always has been
I am very sad I can’t eat these anymore due to IBS
I was this way for years. I eventually recovered a lot and slowly weened back onto them. Good luck and take care.
Thank you for the kind words! I didn’t know I could maybe have these again at some point in the future. Did you just try them every now and again to see how you reacted? Do you still need to watch out?
Same for me when i had ibd (still do but in remission). But after bettering my gut microbiome I could eat everything again.
Just saw this. For me, I found a medication that helped me a lot and I worked on my diet as well. Not just fodmaps but slowly becoming vegan. That helped me regrow my gut biome a lot. I also experimented with fecal transplants, believe it or not. And I went to a pian clinic and they injected a numbing agent into my nerves. This may or may not have been effective. I tried a lot of things. But I think the diet and medication were the most helpful. Then when I was a bit stronger I slowly tried a lit bit more garlic and onion powder and then eventually fresh garlic and onions. I would have a bit of a response but not much. And after a while that response went away.
What medication would that be? I have found enzymes that seem to help with fructans and GOS, do you mean those?
I’ve heard of fecal transplants before, but that it’s simply unknown at this point if it helps with IBS. Hypnosis seems to be helpful for some people as well.
For sure, Celebrex, an NSAID. I had really bad pain and ended up in the hospital and was given Toradol and it helped immediately, and then the doctor gave me a prescription for celebrex afterwards, I took it daily for a while and that was years ago, now I take it as backup if things get bad.
Ye, I suspected that my gut bacteria was a big part of the issue. I found when I did the transplants it always helped. But you have to jump through a lot of hoops to do it safely and effectively. And it may be illegal. And of course, the ick factor is real.
Thanks for sharing your story!
You include shallots, but not spring onions? I feel offended.
