The secret behind the mystery of some people love spicy food while others prefer sweets - Photo: LUKE
According to an article published on the food website Chowhound , preferences for sweet, salty, bitter, sour, or spicy foods are influenced by genes, evolution, culinary culture, and personal experiences.
Genes can make you taste spicier, saltier, or sweeter flavors.
Mark Johnson, founder of CompKitchen—a tool that applies molecular science to analyze ingredient combinations—states that the TAS2R38 gene is involved in the ability to sense bitter-tasting compounds.
People carrying the sensitive version of this gene may find black coffee or raw kale significantly more bitter and pungent than others. This partly explains why the same food might be palatable to one person but difficult for another to swallow.
Variants in the TAS1R gene group may also influence preferences for sweet or strongly flavored, salty foods.
In particular, a variant of the TAS1R2 gene is thought to reduce sensitivity to sugar. When the sense of sweetness is weaker, some people tend to seek out sugarier foods to achieve a similar feeling of satisfaction.
The spicy taste operates through a different mechanism. It is actually a sensation of pain and heat registered by the nervous system, rather than a basic taste like sweet, salty, sour, bitter, or umami.
Capsaicin, a compound commonly found in chili peppers, activates TRPV1 receptors, making the brain think the mouth is burning. This reaction simultaneously prompts the body to release endorphins and dopamine—neurotransmitters associated with feelings of pleasure and euphoria.
Differences in receptor sensitivity can cause one person to find pleasure in the burning sensation, while another wants to avoid anything containing chili.
Taste can change through experience.
Genes play a role in determining a person's taste preferences - Photo: UBER EATS
Genes provide some foundation, but taste is also strongly shaped by instinct and habits learned over time.
Infants typically prefer sweet flavors and react warily to bitter ones. According to Mark Johnson, this may be a vestige of a survival mechanism that helped our human ancestors identify energy sources and avoid poisonous or spoiled food.
More specific preferences gradually emerge from exposure to food. A mother's diet during pregnancy, the foods a child is introduced to early on, and the family environment can all influence later taste preferences.
Culinary culture also determines which flavors are considered familiar and palatable. A child growing up in Sichuan, China , might consider the tingling, spicy sensation of Sichuan peppercorns a familiar part of their meals. Children in a region where this spice is less commonly used might find it strange or unpleasant.
Taste preferences continue to change as people mature. Repeated exposure to a flavor can help the brain become less wary and gradually accept the food. Those who prefer spicier food can start with a mild level, gradually increasing the amount of spice and trying different cooking methods.
The ability to appreciate sour or strongly flavored foods can also be trained in a similar way.
Age is another notable factor. Children typically have more taste buds and higher sensitivity than adults, so they tend to react more strongly to certain flavors and are often pickier eaters.
Over time, the number and sensitivity of taste buds decline. A food that was too bitter, too strong, or unpleasant as a child may become palatable, even appealing, in adulthood.
These changes show that eating preferences are not entirely fixed. Genes determine the starting point, while family, culture, age, and experiences continue to "rewrite" each person's taste with each meal.