What's Your Flavor?

Posted on Sep 01, 2017

Have you ever thought about how we are able to “taste” our food? Food goes well beyond taste – it is truly an experience. In fact, the U.S. National Library of Medicine indicates an array of sensations make up what we know to be “taste.” When you eat, nerves on your taste buds activate and send signals to your brain where taste qualities eventually combine with smell signals to form flavor. Our brains recognize five main qualities of taste perceived by the tongue, including sweet, bitter, salty, sour and savory. These taste qualities combined with smell, texture and temperature all help form the overall flavor of our food. Learn more here.

A Unique Ingredient

Taking into account the basic taste qualities, varying levels of taste intensity, texture, temperature and smell - the flavor combinations of our food are endless. A great way to embrace these flavors is to use ingredients that capture the essence of various foods, spices and herbs. Sorghum is a dynamic whole grain that serves as a catalyst for flavors.

Whole grain sorghum is a naturally versatile ingredient. With its neutral, nutty flavor and unique mouthfeel, sorghum can absorb the flavors and spices of any cuisine. Whether you enjoy your dishes sweet, savory or somewhere in between, sorghum allows for extensive culinary creativity and one-of-a-kind flavor profiles. If you are not familiar with sorghum, learn more here.

Some Like It Sweet

Combining a whole grain with sweet flavors may not be common in your home, but whole grain sorghum provides an excellent avenue for sweet flavors. Fruits as well spices like cinnamon and cardamom pair nicely with sorghum. This super grain is a great addition to breakfast dishes like warm porridges, morning grain bowls and smoothies. Adding whole grain sorghum to parfaits, granolas and puddings also make for a tasty snack or dessert. Try these sweet whole grain sorghum recipes:

Blackberry Ricotta Breakfast Sorghum

*Recipe and photo from Nutrition Starring You

Strawberry Vanilla Sorghum Parfait

*Recipe and photo from Nutrition Starring You

Whole Grain Sorghum Pecan Granola

*Recipe and photo from Salted Plains

Some Like It Savory

Sorghum and savory flavors unite perfectly to create a delicious dining experience. Sautéed vegetables, spices like garlic or cumin and fresh herbs such as basil or cilantro couple nicely with sorghum. Whole grain sorghum can be used in many recipes like you would traditionally use rice or quinoa. You can use sorghum in salads, soups, risottos and pilafs as well as in out-of-the-box recipes like hummus, pico de gallo and lasagna. Try these savory sorghum recipes: