Potatoes are very popular in our country. Only the imagination of the culinary specialist limits the number of dishes that can be prepared from it. It so happens that the potatoes that we boiled or fried taste bitter. More often this happens when potatoes are cooked in their uniforms, but it happens that potatoes boiled in soup have a bitter taste, and with it the whole dish. It is important to understand that bitter potatoes can be hazardous to health.
How even before the potatoes are ready, to understand whether there will be bitterness?
It happens that the appearance of the tubers shows that the potatoes will taste bitter. This can be understood by the green color on the roots. It is better not to eat such potatoes, or at least cut the greens in a thick layer.
Another sign that may indicate the bitterness of a potato is black spots. If, after you cut off the black spots, the potatoes still taste bitter, then it is not worth it.
But not always the bitter taste of tubers will somehow affect the appearance.
Reasons why potatoes can taste bitter
- If we are talking about young potatoes, then, most likely, they are not ripe. And you can't get rid of the bitterness in such tubers, no matter how you cook it. This flavor is felt from the fact that potatoes, which belong to the nightshade family, contain alkaloids in their tubers, usually solanine. Alkaloids are not only unpleasant to the taste, but also harmful to the body. When the potato ripens, the alkaloids break down. Therefore, bitterness is often felt precisely in unripe fruits.
- Another cause of bitterness may be an overabundance of chemistry in the potato. It happens that an unscrupulous farmer uses too much fertilizer to get a bigger and faster harvest. Pest control is also carried out with the help of chemical fertilizers. The beetle that eats potatoes dies, but a bitter taste appears.
- Bitterness can result from improper storage. If the potato has been in the light for a long time, alkaloids will begin to be released, giving the potato a bitter taste and unhealthy. Store potatoes in a cool, dark place, not in the refrigerator.
- Alkaloids are found in small quantities in potatoes, and when the tubers begin to sprout, their number increases dramatically. Therefore, if the potatoes you are about to cook have sprouted, the chance of getting a bitter meal increases.
