The Sweetness of Bitters

Mary Poppins said, "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." But sometimes we need that bitter flavor to get the job done. When the taste buds in our tongues detect the bitter flavors of herbs like dandelion root, burdock, yellow dock, bitter orange, elecampane, and chamomile, signals are sent via the nervous system to the brain and then to the gut that trigger digestion. Bitters also serve up a good dose of prebiotics, and help maintain healthy bowel function. But convincing people to take them? Sometimes challenging. The solution? Mask the bitter taste with a tastier bitter, such as dark chocolate! In this class we will dive into the fascinating world of bitters, how humans and bitter tasting medicinal plants have co-evolved, and all the good these bitter allies do for our guts and brains. We will also make tasty and creative recipes to help make that…