When you have a food craving, what do you reach for? Potato chips, perhaps a candy bar or do you go for a slice of pizza to satisfy these yearnings? Each one of us has a our own food preference. And of course, it all comes down to what the food tastes like.
Sweet, salty or savory? Which taste do you prefer?
For yours truly, I like to think I’m a bit of each — with salty coming in dead last. Just ask my husband. He has gotten use to me removing the large salt crystals off of a ballgame pretzel. (Yes, I admit that I do this!)
But there is no doubt that I have a sweet tooth. A very large one. Since I was a kid, I have always loved ice cream, cake, chocolate and candy. And my husband always asks if I’d like some coffee with my sugar. Hey, I like my coffee sweet. But of course all of this doesn’t mean I don’t crave a bowl of pasta, a steak dinner or a slice of pizza. But typically, my taste buds seem to point straight towards the sweet direction. So what about you? Sweet, salty or savory? Which taste do you prefer?
So the $64,000 question is…
What makes you prefer one taste over the other?
Heredity
It’s ALL in our genes. The exception to this rule is identical twins. Our unique combination of genes determine our taste sensitivity as well as the the number of taste buds you have.
Environment
plays a big role in your food preferences. For example, studies show that you’re probably what your mother ate. “A mother’s diet while pregnant or breastfeeding can sway an infant toward developing a taste for sweet or salty foods. http://www.recipes.howstuffworks.com
Experiences
whether pleasant or not, trigger our taste buds as well. A food favorite most likely will equate with a happy and pleasant experience. Travel is always my happy place! And food definitely plays a role in enhancing the journey.
To get the most out of your food experiences when traveling, read my post about “My 10 Food Commandments For Travelers”here:https://followmyyellowbrickroad.com/?page_id=887
Food triggers
usually come from an emotional vs.a physical need. I, like many of you out there, can agree to this! Craving chocolate or pounding down a quart of ice cream is not because we’re necessarily hungry. An emotional upset, good or bad, makes us do it.
So, now that we know what can trigger our food likes and dislikes, let’s ask…
What kind of taster are you?
There are 3 types of tasters in the world:
- “Supertaster”
- “Average Taster”
- “Non-Taster”
If you have more taste buds than the average person, you are a Supertaster. Congratulations!
This group of people have very strong likes and dislikes for different foods and are particularly sensitive to bitter flavors in foods.
Not sure if you are one. Take this simple “taster” test.
“Punch a standard notebook hole into a clean piece of plastic or wax paper and put it on the front part of your tongue. Then, count the bigger taste buds—called papilla. It’s actually pretty tricky to spot, so if you want to be more accurate, be sure to drink some red wine beforehand to stain your tongue. Count how many you have and see what kind of taster you are.”https://winefolly.com/tips/find-youre-wine-supertaster/
Interesting test, huh? So what are you?
Are you a sweet lover?
Like Lady Gaga sings — “We are just Born this Way!” As humans, we are genetically engineered to have this weakness for sweets. As babies, our cravings for sweets leads us to crave more important, high energy foods.
Some of us, (including moi), may actually have a low threshold to sweetness, therefore raising the bar to our sweet sensitivity. The need for more sugar is higher to get the same satisfaction. I knew there had to be a reason for my sweet tooth!
Are you a salty character?
Salt is essential for life. It is essential for nerve and muscle function and is involved in the regulation of fluids in the body. It also plays a role in controlling our blood pressure and volume.
And salt actually improves other tastes and masks bitterness. Have you ever put salt in your coffee grounds for a better taste or added it to a chocolate recipe?
And we all know who these people are… Friends and family who salt their food BEFORE they even taste it. Because we all CRAVE salt.
It is actually believed that original human hunting patterns influenced our love for salt. Hunted animals typically would go to salty areas to get their dose of salt. Humans, would then eat this meat, consuming the salt in it. Ahhhh!
Are you a savory person?
Savory is also often used to mean the opposite of sweet, or salty. Savory means full of flavor, delicious and tasty — usually something that someone has cooked. Ribs, fish, steak, eggs… the list is endless.
Appetizer on Mexican Cruise 
Dinner at “Ramiro” in Lisbon
This is food that usually falls under the comfort food “umbrella.” And I love a good meal. Satisfying, usually in a spicy or salty, way. Never too sweet .
Now, last but not least, let’s discover…
Some fun facts about your taste buds!
- Did you know that our taste buds get replaced every two weeks?http://www.msg.com As we get older, some taste buds die and don’t return. That’s why many older people seem to have diminished taste.
- Tastes can be detected all over the tongue. There are not specific zones that correspond to tastes.
- We probably evolved to liking the different tastes of salty, sweet and savory. Bitter flavors are our least favorite since they can indicate a toxin.