Certainly odor is a key determinant of what we think of as the flavor of foods.
And raw vegetables definitely have a less strong odor than cooked ones. Indeed web sites have stated that if cooked vegetables are being rejected by children, serving raw vegetables instead might be a solution.
I also found several sites related to beer and wine tasting, where a smell of cooked vegetables is used as a way of identifying an unpleasant aspect of the product being tasted.
And some vegetables, including cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts are known to contain sulfur components which can smell unpleasant.
But I did eat some cooked vegetables over the month -- both at home and at restaurants.
Could it be that the cooked foods that I prepared at home were sufficiently masked by other scents? Both the eggplant and the potato recipes I prepared were cooked with cinnamon, chocolate, and chiles.
And at restaurants, since I am some distance away from where the vegetables are actually cooked, perhaps I didn't notice any unpleasant odor. Surely it would be the cook who suffers most from any unpleasant smells, especially the ones that rise up in a cloud of vegetable-scented steam. Blech...
2 comments:
I would never eat brussel sprouts. I remember my mother cooking them when I was a kid and thinking they smelled like farts! It doesn't matter that people tell me they taste great (and presumably smell better) when grilling them, I still won't eat them. So I think you're on to something.
Brussel sprouts are surprisingly good, IF, they are prepared correctly. Grilled with olive oil and garlic, they are great (what isn't great with olive oil and garlic. I've even grilled spinach (takes some care not to incinerate it) but again, some olive oil and garlic and it goes great with grilled lamb.
Frankly, my favorite vegetable is a big stick of celery which I use to muddle my Bloody Caesar.
How about making a rhubarb pie? Ymmmm.
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