supertaster | Ask Dr. Universe | Washington State University

Why do I like buffalo wings and not broccoli? - Joe, 10, New York City, NY

March 27, 2020 jaime.chambers

Dear Joe,

You’re not alone—cats don’t like broccoli much either. As a carnivore, I think a nice, meaty buffalo wing sounds great.

But humans are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and meat. They’ve developed a taste for all kinds of things growing and living all over the world. So where do individual people’s preferences come from?

To find out, I visited Carolyn Ross, a professor of Food Science at Washington State University. Like you, she is very curious about why people like the foods they like.

Will I ever like Brussels sprouts? - Susan

February 4, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Susan,

Cats aren’t usually big veggie-eaters. But working with humans means that I get to taste all kinds of new delicacies—like Brussels sprouts.

I talked about food preferences with my friend Carolyn Ross. She’s a chemist and food scientist at Washington State University.

She told me that some people are extra sensitive to how foods taste. They’re called supertasters.

“Supertasters actually have more taste buds,” Ross said. “We’ve found that people who are supertasters are particularly sensitive to bitterness.”

Bitterness really strikes at a supertaster’s fungiform papillae. Those are the mushroom-shaped lumps on your tongue that house your taste buds. Because of … » More …