How Taste Works: Flavor, Sensation, Supertasters
This podcast details how taste works, explaining taste as a chemical sense perceived by specialized receptor cells that make up taste buds within papillae on the tongue. It distinguishes taste from flavor, which is described as a fusion of multiple senses, including gustatory (taste), olfactory (smell), and tactile and thermal sensations.
The overview covers the primary tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and the more recently accepted umami (savory), noting fat as a potential sixth taste. It also debunks the tongue map myth, clarifying that all tastes can be sensed across the entire tongue, though sensitivities may vary. A significant part of the discussion focuses on supertasters, individuals with abnormally high concentrations of taste receptors leading to heightened taste sensitivity to substances like PROP, and how this genetic trait influences food preferences and potentially health. The essential role of smell in the full perception of flavor is also highlighted.
0.000000 6.000000 Welcome to everyday explained your daily 20-minute dive into the fascinating house and wise of the world around you.
6.000000 11.000000 I'm your host Chris and I'm excited to help you discover something new. Let's get started.
11.000000 16.000000 Have you ever been out to dinner maybe and watched someone just absolutely love something you can barely stand?
16.000000 19.000000 Oh definitely like a super bitter black coffee.
19.000000 27.000000 Or Brussels sprouts. Exactly. And you just sit there thinking how... how are we tasting the same things so differently?
27.000000 35.000000 What is taste anyway? It seems so simple but it turns out it's incredibly complex and really personal.
35.000000 36.000000 It really is.
36.000000 41.000000 So our mission today in this deep dive is to try and unpack that mystery.
41.000000 46.000000 We've got some fascinating sources lined up about how we actually taste things.
46.000000 49.000000 From the taste buds themselves to genetics.
49.000000 54.000000 Yeah exactly. Why your preferences might be totally different from your friends. Prepare for some...
54.000000 57.000000 Uh-huh moments I think. Maybe even a laugh.
57.000000 59.000000 Sounds good. Where should we start?
59.000000 61.000000 Okay first things first. We need to clear something up.
61.000000 65.000000 People often mix up taste and flavor. They use them interchangeably.
65.000000 68.000000 Ah yes a classic point of confusion. Very common.
68.000000 71.000000 But they're not the same thing at all. Are they? How would you break that down?
71.000000 75.000000 We'll taste the sort of technical definition. It's purely chemical.
75.000000 80.000000 Is what happens when specific cells in your taste buds pick up certain molecules.
80.000000 85.000000 You know sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami. That's basically taste.
85.000000 86.000000 Just those five.
86.000000 91.000000 Just those. In the strictest sense, the flavor. Flavor is the whole show. It's like the big concert.
91.000000 93.000000 Okay. It includes taste. Absolutely.
93.000000 97.000000 But smell is huge. Massively important.
97.000000 102.000000 Yeah. And then you've got texture, temperature, even pain actually.
102.000000 104.000000 Pain. You mean like spicy food.
104.000000 105.000000 Exactly like spicy food.
105.000000 108.000000 But also think about when you have a really bad cold.
108.000000 110.000000 Like during Thanksgiving dinner maybe.
110.000000 112.000000 Yeah. The worst. Everything tastes like cardboard.
112.000000 114.000000 Right. You haven't technically lost your sense of taste.
114.000000 117.000000 You can probably still tell if something's salty or sweet.
117.000000 121.000000 But you've lost the flavor. All of those complex aromas from the turkey, the spices.
121.000000 123.000000 Yeah. They're gone because your nose is blocked.
123.000000 125.000000 Yeah. It really shows you how much flavor relies on smell.
125.000000 127.000000 That makes total sense.
127.000000 131.000000 Okay so speaking of things beyond the basic tastes, spicy. You mentioned pain.
131.000000 133.000000 So spicy isn't a taste.
133.000000 138.000000 Nope. Not technically. It's not sweet, sour, salty, bitter, or umami.
138.000000 141.000000 Wild. So what is happening when I bite into a chili?
141.000000 144.000000 It's actually pretty cool. That heat you feel from capsaicin.
144.000000 146.000000 That's not your taste receptor is firing.
146.000000 147.000000 No.
147.000000 149.000000 No. It's actually nerve endings.
149.000000 152.000000 The ones that usually detect temperature and touch, sending a pain signal.
152.000000 154.000000 Like a little heat alert to your brain.
154.000000 156.000000 So it's tricking my heat sensors.
156.000000 159.000000 Sort of. Yeah. It causes irritation.
159.000000 161.000000 And that underlines a key idea.
161.000000 166.000000 Sensation. Just the raw response to something only becomes perception.
166.000000 168.000000 Like tasting sweetness or feeling pain.
168.000000 171.000000 Once the signal actually gets processed up in the brain.
171.000000 173.000000 Okay. The brain interprets the signal. Got it.
173.000000 175.000000 So let's zoom in on the tongue then.
175.000000 178.000000 We all know about taste buds. What are they really?
178.000000 180.000000 And what about those little bumps we see?
180.000000 181.000000 Right. So it starts with taste buds.
181.000000 184.000000 Tiny little things often described as goblet shaped.
184.000000 185.000000 Okay.
185.000000 187.000000 And each one isn't just a single cell. It's a whole bundle.
187.000000 190.000000 Maybe 50 or so guistitorial receptor cells.
190.000000 193.000000 Those are the tasting cells plus other supporting cells.
193.000000 195.000000 And they live inside the bumps.
195.000000 197.000000 Exactly. Those bumps are called papalai.
197.000000 199.000000 The taste buds are nestled inside them.
199.000000 204.000000 So when I eat something, how does the message get from, say, a piece of chocolate on my tongue
204.000000 206.000000 to my brain saying, mmm, sweet.
206.000000 209.000000 Okay. So the chocolate molecules dissolve in your saliva.
209.000000 214.000000 Then they seep into tiny openings on the pipilly called taste pores.
214.000000 215.000000 Taste pores, right?
215.000000 220.000000 Inside, they interact with these little hair-like extensions on the receptor cells.
220.000000 222.000000 Guestatory hairs.
222.000000 226.000000 That interaction triggers a chemical reaction, which gets turned into an electrical signal.
226.000000 228.000000 An electrical impulse.
228.000000 229.000000 Precisely.
229.000000 232.000000 And that signal travels super fast along cranial nerves.
232.000000 235.000000 Think of them like data cables and straight to specific parts of your brain,
235.000000 236.000000 like the guistitorial cortex.
236.000000 239.000000 And the brain goes, ah, sweetness detected.
239.000000 240.000000 Basically, yeah.
240.000000 243.000000 It interprets those signals as the taste we recognize.
243.000000 244.000000 It happens almost instantly.
244.000000 245.000000 Amazing.
245.000000 249.000000 So these papillais, the bumps, are they all the same?
249.000000 250.000000 Or are they different kinds?
250.000000 251.000000 I just thought they were, you know, bumps.
251.000000 252.000000 Yeah, fair enough.
252.000000 254.000000 But no, they're not all the same.
254.000000 257.000000 They're actually three main types, and they have slightly different jobs.
257.000000 260.000000 First, you've got the funky form, papillais.
260.000000 262.000000 Crunchy form, like mushrooms.
262.000000 264.000000 Exactly. They're sort of mushroom-shaped.
264.000000 268.000000 They're the most common type, maybe 200 to 400 of them scattered all over.
268.000000 270.000000 Especially the tip and size of your tongue.
270.000000 271.000000 Okay.
271.000000 273.000000 Each one has a few taste buds, maybe three to five.
273.000000 276.000000 But they also have sensors for touch and temperature.
276.000000 278.000000 It makes those areas pretty sensitive.
278.000000 281.000000 Right. The tip of the tongue always feels things first.
281.000000 285.000000 Then at the very back, in a V-shape, you have the circumvalid papillais.
285.000000 288.000000 There aren't many, maybe only 7 to 12 total.
288.000000 289.000000 Only 12?
289.000000 292.000000 Yeah, but they are huge compared to the others.
292.000000 293.000000 And get this.
293.000000 296.000000 Each one contains thousands of taste buds.
296.000000 298.000000 Thousands in just one papilla.
298.000000 299.000000 Wow.
299.000000 301.000000 Seriously, they're like taste powerhouses.
301.000000 304.000000 They even have little glands that wash saliva over the area
304.000000 307.000000 to bring more taste molecules to the receptors.
307.000000 308.000000 Super efficient.
308.000000 310.000000 Like a cleaning crew for taste buds.
310.000000 313.000000 Kind of. And finally, there are the foliate papillais.
313.000000 317.000000 These look like folds along the sides of your tongue towards the back.
317.000000 320.000000 About 20 of those, and each has hundreds of taste buds too.
320.000000 324.000000 So taste buds everywhere, but concentrated in different ways.
324.000000 326.000000 Pretty much. And here's another cool fact.
326.000000 328.000000 Those taste for sector cells.
328.000000 332.000000 Regenerate. You get a mostly new set every 10 to 30 days or so.
332.000000 335.000000 No way. Like constantly refreshing my palate.
335.000000 340.000000 Essentially, yeah. Though the total number can start to decrease after age 70 or so,
340.000000 343.000000 which is one reason taste perception can fade a bit as we get older.
343.000000 344.000000 That makes sense.
344.000000 347.000000 Okay, so we have these intricate structures detecting taste.
347.000000 349.000000 We usually learn about the big four.
349.000000 352.000000 Sweet, salty, sour, bitter.
352.000000 354.000000 But you mentioned five earlier.
354.000000 356.000000 Right. The classic four definitely have deep roots.
356.000000 359.000000 Evolutionarily speaking, sweet usually meant energy, like calories.
359.000000 360.000000 Good stuff.
360.000000 361.000000 Salty, man, essential minerals.
361.000000 365.000000 Sour could be good, like vitamin C and fruit, or bad, like spoiled food.
365.000000 367.000000 And bitter.
367.000000 368.000000 Well, bitter was the big red flag.
368.000000 370.000000 Warning, poison.
370.000000 372.000000 Exactly. A crucial survival mechanism.
372.000000 373.000000 Don't eat the bitter berries.
373.000000 375.000000 But then came number five.
375.000000 376.000000 Umami.
376.000000 378.000000 That sounds exotic.
378.000000 380.000000 It does. It's a Japanese term.
380.000000 383.000000 A scientist there, Kikune Ikita, back in the early 1900s,
383.000000 386.000000 was studying seaweed broth, actually.
386.000000 388.000000 And he isolated glutamic acid,
388.000000 390.000000 realizing it produced a taste sensation
390.000000 392.000000 that wasn't sweet, salty, sour, or bitter.
392.000000 393.000000 He called it Umami.
393.000000 394.000000 Which means.
394.000000 397.000000 It's roughly translates to delicious savory taste.
397.000000 401.000000 You get it from things like meat, age, cheese, mushrooms, ripe tomatoes.
401.000000 404.000000 Okay, like that deep savory flavor.
404.000000 405.000000 And MSG.
405.000000 406.000000 Yep, monosodium glutamate.
406.000000 408.000000 That's basically pure Umami taste.
408.000000 411.000000 Food scientists use it a lot to boost that savory quality.
411.000000 412.000000 Interesting.
412.000000 414.000000 So five tastes, is that it?
414.000000 415.000000 Or is a list still growing?
415.000000 417.000000 Well, the plot thickens.
417.000000 419.000000 Research suggests there might be more.
419.000000 422.000000 A French scientist think they found a receptor specifically for fat.
422.000000 423.000000 A taste for fat.
423.000000 424.000000 Seriously.
424.000000 425.000000 Potentially, yeah.
425.000000 426.000000 They've even named it Oliogustus.
426.000000 427.000000 So that could be number six.
427.000000 428.000000 Oliogustus.
428.000000 429.000000 Okay.
429.000000 432.000000 And people are also looking into receptors for things like alkaline,
432.000000 433.000000 think soapy metallic.
433.000000 435.000000 Maybe even to distinct taste for water.
435.000000 437.000000 It's still an active area of research.
437.000000 439.000000 Our understanding is definitely evolving.
439.000000 442.000000 It really is. And food scientists are already jumping on this, right?
442.000000 444.000000 Trying to manipulate these tastes.
444.000000 445.000000 Oh, absolutely.
445.000000 449.000000 Companies are developing compounds that can say block bitterness.
449.000000 451.000000 Or enhance sweetness without adding sugar.
451.000000 454.000000 Or boost saltiness perception.
454.000000 456.000000 So they can use less actual salt.
456.000000 459.000000 So healthier processed foods that still paste good.
459.000000 460.000000 That's the goal.
460.000000 463.000000 Using chemistry to trick our taste cells, basically,
463.000000 466.000000 to cut down on sugar, salt, MSG,
466.000000 468.000000 without us really noticing the difference in flavor.
468.000000 469.000000 Reset tonic liver, actually.
469.000000 470.000000 Okay.
470.000000 471.000000 Now for something that might blow some minds.
471.000000 472.000000 Let's talk about the tongue map.
472.000000 474.000000 Ah, the infamous tongue map.
474.000000 475.000000 Yeah.
475.000000 476.000000 We all saw in school, right?
476.000000 479.000000 The little diagram showing sweet at the tip, bitter at the back,
479.000000 480.000000 sour on the sides.
480.000000 481.000000 Mm-hmm.
481.000000 486.000000 Sweet at the front, salty just behind it, sour on the edges, bitter way back.
486.000000 487.000000 Yeah, that one.
487.000000 488.000000 Is that real?
488.000000 490.000000 Okay. So here's the moment of truth.
490.000000 494.000000 For anyone who ever argued with their teacher about tasting salt way back on their tongue.
494.000000 495.000000 Yes.
495.000000 496.000000 Tell me.
496.000000 497.000000 You were right.
497.000000 502.000000 The tongue map, as it's usually presented, is basically wrong.
502.000000 505.000000 Or at least a massive oversimplification.
505.000000 507.000000 No, really.
507.000000 508.000000 Really?
508.000000 511.000000 While there might be some very slight variations in sensitivity across the tongue,
511.000000 514.000000 like maybe the tip is a tiny bit better at detecting sweet,
514.000000 519.000000 you can absolutely perceive all the basic tastes all over your entire tongue.
519.000000 520.000000 So it's a myth.
520.000000 521.000000 How did that even happen?
521.000000 523.000000 How did we all learn this thing that isn't true?
523.000000 526.000000 It's a funny story of misinterpretation, really.
526.000000 529.000000 It dates back to some German research from 1901.
529.000000 530.000000 Okay.
530.000000 535.000000 The scientists mapped out relative sensitivities, showing areas where perception was slightly lower for certain tastes.
535.000000 539.000000 But somehow, when that got translated and charted later, probably for textbooks.
539.000000 540.000000 Someone simplified it too much.
540.000000 541.000000 Exactly.
541.000000 545.000000 Those areas of lower sensitivity got misinterpreted as areas of no sensitivity.
545.000000 551.000000 And boom, the rigid tongue map was born and just sort of stuck for decades.
551.000000 556.000000 Wow, bad science communication strikes again.
556.000000 559.000000 But you did say the back of the tongue is sensitive to bitter, right?
559.000000 561.000000 Is there something to that part?
561.000000 563.000000 Yes, that part holds true.
563.000000 568.000000 While the specific zones are wrong, the back of the tongue is generally quite sensitive to bitterness.
568.000000 569.000000 Why they're specific?
569.000000 572.000000 It's that protective mechanism we talked about.
572.000000 579.000000 Since bitter often signals poisons or spoilage, having heightened sensitivity at the back of the throat helps trigger a gag reflex.
579.000000 582.000000 Ah, so you spit it out before you swallow it?
582.000000 586.000000 Precisely. It's like your last line of defense, a built in danger eject button.
586.000000 587.000000 Makes perfect sense.
587.000000 591.000000 Okay, so we know how taste works. We've busted a myth.
591.000000 594.000000 But why the huge difference between people?
594.000000 596.000000 Why do I hate cilantro and my friend thinks it's amazing?
596.000000 598.000000 That brings us back to genetics, right?
598.000000 600.000000 Exactly. This is where it gets super personal.
600.000000 602.000000 Why don't we all like the same things?
602.000000 604.000000 It really came into focus back in the 1930s.
604.000000 608.000000 Scientists discovered this chemical, PTC, phenotheocarbamide.
608.000000 609.000000 PTC, okay.
609.000000 614.000000 And they found some people thought it tasted incredibly bitter, like disgustingly so.
614.000000 616.000000 But others tasted absolutely nothing.
616.000000 620.000000 Whoa, same chemical, totally different experiences.
620.000000 621.000000 Exactly.
621.000000 626.000000 Later, they used a similar compound, PROP, easier to work with to study this difference.
626.000000 631.000000 And then in the '90s, a researcher named Linda Bartoszuk coined the term supertasters.
626.000000 626.000000 Yeah.
631.000000 633.000000 Supertasters, I love that.
633.000000 639.000000 So based on how people react to this PROP chemical, we fall into different groups.
639.000000 640.000000 That's the idea.
640.000000 642.000000 She proposed three main categories.
642.000000 645.000000 First, the supertasters. They're about 25% of the population.
645.000000 647.000000 Okay, what makes them super?
647.000000 652.000000 They literally have more taste buds, specifically more funger-formed papillais pack closer together.
652.000000 654.000000 So their sense of taste is just amplified.
654.000000 656.000000 Like turning the volume up.
656.000000 657.000000 Exactly.
657.000000 661.000000 So for them, food that might seem bland to others tastes perfectly fine.
661.000000 665.000000 But the downside is, many common foods can be overwhelming.
665.000000 667.000000 Coffee or dark chocolate might be way too bitter.
667.000000 668.000000 Ah.
668.000000 670.000000 Desserts can be sickeningly sweet.
670.000000 674.000000 Spicy food can feel intensely painful, because they often have more pain receptors too.
674.000000 676.000000 So they might seem like picky eaters.
676.000000 677.000000 They often are.
677.000000 679.000000 But it's not their fault, it's their biology.
679.000000 680.000000 Things just taste stronger to them.
680.000000 681.000000 That explains so much.
681.000000 682.000000 Okay, so that's supertasters.
682.000000 683.000000 Who else is there?
683.000000 686.000000 Then you have the non-tasters, another 25%, 30%.
686.000000 692.000000 So they basically can't taste PRP at all, it's just paper to them.
692.000000 693.000000 Nothing.
693.000000 694.000000 Nothing.
694.000000 696.000000 These are often the people who love really intense flavors.
696.000000 700.000000 They might pile on the hot sauce, need lots of salt or sugar to make things taste good.
700.000000 702.000000 They tend to prefer high fat foods too.
702.000000 705.000000 Because they need more stimulation to get the same effect.
705.000000 706.000000 Seems that way, yeah.
706.000000 708.000000 They're just not getting the same intensity signals.
708.000000 709.000000 Okay, and the last group.
709.000000 710.000000 That's the average taste.
710.000000 714.000000 There's the biggest group, maybe 45%, 50% of us.
714.000000 717.000000 They taste PROP, but just as faintly bitter.
717.000000 719.000000 Not overwhelming, not nothing.
719.000000 720.000000 The Goldilocks Zone.
720.000000 721.000000 Pretty much.
721.000000 723.000000 They tend to like most foods, enjoy variety.
723.000000 726.000000 Don't necessarily need to douse everything in seasoning.
726.000000 727.000000 They're the middle ground.
727.000000 728.000000 This is fascinating.
728.000000 732.000000 So my hatred of Brussels sprouts might actually be because I'm a super-taster.
732.000000 733.000000 It very well could be.
733.000000 737.000000 Those sulfur compounds and Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale.
737.000000 740.000000 They could be intensely bitter to a super-taster.
740.000000 741.000000 Might.
741.000000 742.000000 Blown.
742.000000 745.000000 Does this have bigger implications like for health?
745.000000 746.000000 Well, absolutely.
746.000000 748.000000 Researchers have found some really interesting correlations.
748.000000 752.000000 Super-tasters, for example, especially women around middle age,
752.000000 753.000000 tend to be thinner.
753.000000 754.000000 Thinner, why?
754.000000 757.000000 Well, because sugary foods taste too sweet.
757.000000 760.000000 And fatty foods can have an unpleasant texture or taste to them.
760.000000 762.000000 They naturally tend to avoid them.
762.000000 766.000000 So maybe about 20% thinner than non-tasters on average.
766.000000 767.000000 Wow.
767.000000 769.000000 Any downsides for super-tasters?
769.000000 773.000000 The potential downside is that intense bitterness sensitivity
773.000000 778.000000 might make them avoid healthy bitter vegetables like those Brussels sprouts or leafy greens.
778.000000 783.000000 Some study suggests this could potentially link to higher rates of colon polyps later on.
783.000000 784.000000 Interesting trade-off.
784.000000 787.000000 And they're less likely to smoke or drink too, you said.
787.000000 788.000000 Right.
788.000000 792.000000 The bitterness of alcohol or the harshness of smoke can be much more pronounced for them.
792.000000 794.000000 And non-tasters, any health links there?
794.000000 798.000000 On the flip side, non-tasters sometimes show higher rates of alcohol consumption,
798.000000 801.000000 maybe because it just doesn't taste as harsh or bitter to them.
801.000000 806.000000 And as that general trend, lower PROP sensitivity, meaning non-tasters,
806.000000 810.000000 tends to correlate with higher body weight, maybe due to that preference for fats and sweets.
810.000000 816.000000 So are genes for taste might actually be influencing our weight and habits?
816.000000 817.000000 It seems to play a role.
817.000000 821.000000 Yeah, it's not the whole story, obviously, but it's a significant factor.
821.000000 824.000000 And get this, I read that taste receptors aren't just in our mouths.
824.000000 825.000000 They're finding them elsewhere.
825.000000 829.000000 Yes, that's another relatively recent in super exciting discovery.
829.000000 835.000000 They're found down in your gut, your gastrointestinal tract, especially receptors for sweetness.
835.000000 837.000000 Your gut can taste sugar.
837.000000 838.000000 What's that about?
838.000000 839.000000 It's incredible, isn't it?
839.000000 844.000000 These gut receptors are involved in regulating digestion and a metabolism.
844.000000 849.000000 When they detect sugar, they trigger things like glucose absorption, insulin release.
849.000000 850.000000 Whoa.
850.000000 854.000000 And they even help release hormones that signal fullness or satiety back to your brain.
854.000000 858.000000 So they're telling your brain, okay, energy receive, you can stop eating now.
858.000000 859.000000 Essentially, yes.
859.000000 865.000000 Which means they could play a role on things like weight management, maybe even the development of obesity or type 2 diabetes,
859.000000 859.000000 Yeah.
865.000000 868.000000 if those signaling pathways aren't working quite right.
868.000000 870.000000 It shows taste is way more than just pleasure.
870.000000 873.000000 It's tied into fundamental bodily processes.
873.000000 876.000000 That is way deeper than I ever imagined.
876.000000 879.000000 Okay, as we start to wrap up, let's just quickly circle back to smell.
879.000000 881.000000 We said flavor is mostly smell.
881.000000 885.000000 Right, like 80, 85% of what we perceive as flavor comes from aroma.
885.000000 886.000000 It's absolutely dominant.
886.000000 887.000000 It still blows my mind.
887.000000 888.000000 Me too.
888.000000 890.000000 And remember, there are two ways smell contributes.
890.000000 892.000000 Orthonazel is sniffing through your nose.
892.000000 894.000000 Like smelling coffee brewing.
894.000000 895.000000 Exactly.
895.000000 898.000000 But retronazel is arguably more important for eating.
898.000000 905.000000 That's when the aromas from the food in your mouth travel up the back of your throat into your nasal cavity while you're chewing and swallowing.
905.000000 907.000000 Ah, the internal smell.
907.000000 911.000000 That's what creates that rich, complex flavor profile.
911.000000 915.000000 Without retronazel smell, an apple might just taste vaguely sweet and sour.
915.000000 918.000000 With it, you get all those specific appley notes.
918.000000 921.000000 And our sniffers are just ridiculously powerful, aren't they?
921.000000 922.000000 Unbelievably so.
922.000000 928.000000 Humans can distinguish, some say, over 10,000 different odors, maybe even more.
928.000000 929.000000 Wow.
929.000000 934.000000 And we can detect certain volatile compounds at concentrations down to one part per trillion.
934.000000 935.000000 One part per trillion?
935.000000 936.000000 That sounds tiny.
936.000000 937.000000 How tiny is that?
937.000000 939.000000 It's like one second in 32,000 years.
939.000000 940.000000 Get out.
940.000000 942.000000 That's insane sensitivity.
942.000000 943.000000 It really is.
943.000000 949.000000 And much like taste cells, these olfactory cells in your nose also regenerate.
949.000000 956.000000 Although, similar to taste, their numbers can decline with age, leading to that reduced sense of smell, some older adults experience.
956.000000 957.000000 That's so intricate.
957.000000 958.000000 So, okay.
958.000000 959.000000 Bringing it all together.
959.000000 960.000000 What's the big takeaway here?
960.000000 964.000000 I think the main thing is that taste is so much more than we usually give a credit for.
964.000000 965.000000 It's not just on your tongue.
965.000000 969.000000 Right, it's this whole symphony of senses, taste, smell, touch, temperature.
969.000000 972.000000 It is deeply, biologically personal.
972.000000 978.000000 Your experience of eating something could be fundamentally different from the person next to you because of your genes.
978.000000 979.000000 The number of taste beds you have.
979.000000 983.000000 Being a super-taster, non-taster, or average taster.
983.000000 984.000000 Yeah, exactly.
984.000000 987.000000 And understanding that can actually tell you a lot about your own food choices.
987.000000 990.000000 Maybe even your health risks or tendencies.
990.000000 996.000000 It makes you realize why arguing about whether cilantro tastes like soap is kind of pointless.
996.000000 999.000000 For some people, it literally might.
999.000000 1000.000000 It literally might.
1000.000000 1001.000000 It's not just being picky.
1001.000000 1007.000000 So, maybe the final thought for everyone listening is, how does knowing this change things for you?
1007.000000 1011.000000 If you understand your own unique taste profile, a bit better.
1011.000000 1013.000000 Could it change how you approach your diet?
1013.000000 1014.000000 Yeah.
1014.000000 1018.000000 Or maybe make you more adventurous or more understanding of why others eat the way they do?
1018.000000 1024.000000 Yeah, maybe your pickiness isn't just a quirk, but a really fascinating piece of your own biology.
1024.000000 1025.000000 Something that you want.
1025.000000 1028.000000 And that wraps up today's episode of Everyday Explained.
1028.000000 1031.000000 We love making sense of the world around you five days a week.
1031.000000 1036.000000 If you enjoyed today's deep dive, consider subscribing so you don't miss out on our next discovery.
1036.000000 1039.000000 I'm Chris, and I'll catch you in the next one.