Factors Determining Our Food Preferences and How to Identify Your Type 0 6

The perception of taste helps us determine what to eat and affects the efficiency of digestion. In some cases, an "unpleasant" taste may signal potential harm from a product. But what shapes our perception of taste? There are several key factors:

Genetics: Each person has their own genes, leading to diversity in food preferences. Genetic traits influence individual perception of the five basic tastes: bitter, sweet, umami, salty, and sour.

Personal Experience: Your attitude towards different tastes also depends on familiarity with the products. For example, if you tried meat pâté in childhood, it will not shock you in adulthood.

How People Perceive Taste

There are three main categories of people: non-tasters, tasters, and super-tasters. Their proportions are approximately 25%, 50%, and 25% respectively. There is also a small group (less than 1%) called super-super-tasters. Let’s consider their characteristics:

Non-tasters. They drink black coffee without additives. They prefer spicier dishes compared to other groups.
Tasters. About 50% of people fall into this category. They have an average sensitivity to tastes.
Super-tasters. They can detect the strong bitterness of grapefruit juice and coffee. They often add a lot of sugar and milk and generally avoid spicy dishes.
Super-super-tasters. For them, the taste of food is perceived even more vividly than for super-tasters.

How to Determine Your Type

Drink a little grape juice and hold it in your mouth to change the color of your tongue.
Take a small piece of paper and make three holes about 6 millimeters in diameter.
Place the paper on your tongue.
Now count the number of papillae you see in the holes. If there are fewer than 4, you are not a taster; from 4 to 8 — you are a taster; more than 8 — you are a super-taster or super-super-taster.