Is there a word for a taste so bland that it takes away from other tastes?

Question

When using the word "bland", I take it to mean a taste that is as close to nothingness as possible. But with some foods or ingredients (I'm currently eating oats with skim milk in plain greek yogurt) I feel like they go beyond having zero taste, and go even into a "negative taste" where they cancel out the flavor of everything eaten with it. Is there a word to go beyond just "bland" for this sort of thing?

barbecue · Answer

Probably not. The closest you're likely to get is something like Insipid which means bland and flavorless to the extent that it is actually unpleasant.
The problem with the "negative flavor" concept is that we already have positive and negative flavors, a continuum from things that taste delicious to things that taste terrible, and bland flavors are in the middle.
Some foods have the ability to absorb or mask certain flavor compounds, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're bland.
If you are looking for hyperbolic language for blandness, you could emulate Terry Pratchett and say the flavor is so bland it goes beyond bland and comes out the other side as a new thing.
The problem is, what you're asking about is really a matter of opinion. I personally find oats to have a distinctive nutty and savory flavor which I enjoy, and I love cilantro, while some people think it tastes disgusting.

Is there a word for a taste so bland that it takes away from other tastes?

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