10 Dominant Tastes That Take Over Every Meal

AUTHOR: Molly Locke

Taste is a fascinating experience, and some flavors are so powerful they can dominate any dish. Whether it's the fiery kick of chili or the pungent tang of blue cheese, here's a list of 10 tastes that are sure to take center stage in any culinary creation.

1. Cinnamon

Cinnamon can be overpowering just by smell alone. Here’s an example. I will give you two words: Christmas Section. Did you just imagine an overwhelming waft of cinnamon from scented pine cones, candles, and wax melts? I bet you did. While it is a powerful flavor, it is also a flavor that compliments more than you’d think. Many said they used cinnamon, including spice rubs, carrots, chocolate cake, burgers, and even lemonade!

2. Banana

Initially, I don’t think of bananas when I think of powerful flavors. But as I sat on the idea for longer, the more I saw it as being overpowering. As somebody said, “It’s got a weird power to overpower all other flavors no matter what dessert it’s added to. If you have a strawberry/raspberry/pineapple/apple/whatever smoothie, once you add banana, now it’s just a banana smoothie.”

3. Licorice

There is a person in my life who loves black licorice, and I consider her a psychopath because of it. Not to point any fingers, but it’s my mother. There will be times when she will get a little bag of those colorful pieces of chewy, gummy, pungent stuff, and then the whole car reeks of it, as does the person that downed it. Needless to say, I know the power of this stuff.

4. Mint

I love mint! My favorite kinds of chocolates are the ones with mint. And as a lover of mint, I have enough courage to admit that, yes, it is very strong. One person discovered this when they “mistakenly put a couple of Thin Mints in a cookie jar. Long after they were gone, every other cookie tasted minty.” I imagine that so many mints and kinds of toothpaste are mint flavored because of its power over everything else it touches.

5. Cilantro

I grew up loving cilantro, and I still do. So it took me a very long time to learn that some people think it tastes like grass or soap. Though I may not understand that, I can agree that it can easily overpower other tastes, especially when it’s fresh and chopped. I once had a soup where you sprinkled cilantro as a topping, and I remember only being able to taste it and nothing else.

6. Sesame Oil

It is very easy to be overwhelmed with sesame oil. Honestly, there have been some instances where I swear that even adding the amount from dipping the points of a fork would still be extremely noticeable. Again, just because the flavor has such strength does not mean it’s bad. A majority of people’s comments about sesame oil were positive. It just needs to be used very sparingly if you want to taste anything else in the dish.

7. Burnt

This may not be an ingredient, but we are discussing tastes, and the taste of something burnt is very overpowering. As one commenter eloquently said, “Burning something is only good in extreme moderation, like on a pizza crust. It’s a nice contrast. But it’s easy to overdo because obviously, charcoal ain’t tasty.”

8. Ginger

There have been quite a few times where I will get a drink with ginger in it because it sounds good, only to not finish it because it is so strong; I feel like I’m getting punched in the face with the taste. Still, when adequately proportioned with other things, it can taste heavenly.

9. Garlic

Garlic is pretty good, especially in moderation, unless you’re a vampire. But, much like a mint cookie in a cookie jar, that stuff likes to spread to other things… and stay there. Sure, garlic bread is one thing, but sometimes I would like to taste the other things in my food, please and thank you.

10. Green Bell Peppers

The smell of cooking bell peppers is one of those things that has always smelled amazing to me and my family. We just don’t always want to eat them. An individual added their experiences with green pepper and said, “I can taste green pepper if it’s even nearby when cooked. Like if a pizza is done as half and half with one side having green pepper and the other is just cheese or something… Nope. It’s all green pepper. I can taste nothing but green pepper. It’s insane how much that flavor permeates.”

Source: Reddit

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