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Why do we love some foods but not others?
Our taste buds, past experiences, and genes make us like foods differently.
Your tongue has thousands of tiny taste buds. These buds sense flavours called sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. But not everyone's taste buds work the same way. Some children are more sensitive to bitter tastes, so foods like broccoli taste more bitter to them.
Our brain also links the foods we eat with our memories. If you were happy while eating a food as a little kid, you might always love that food. If you got sick after eating a food, you might never like it again.
Smell is also very important for tasting. When your nose is blocked, food tastes much less strong. The smell, colour, and even the sound of a food can change whether we like it or not.
That's why everyone's plate is different. Your friend might not like lemons while you do, and you'd both be right!
Quick facts
- Our tongue has thousands of taste buds.
- Taste buds sense sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami tastes.
- Some people are born more sensitive to bitter tastes.
- Smell is a big part of tasting.
- Our brain links foods with memories.
- When your nose is blocked, food tastes much less strong.
Check what you remember
3 questions — all of them come from the quick facts above. There is no score and no wrong turn.
1. What are the tiny structures on our tongue that sense tastes called?
2. Which of these is NOT a type of taste?
3. What happens when your nose is blocked?
Where this comes from
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1 tr.wikipedia.org 80/100Taste - Wikipedia
An encyclopedia page that explains how tasting works in a simple way.
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2 britannica.com 75/100Taste (sense) - Britannica
A reliable source with detailed information about the sense of taste.
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