# Genetic dispositions for taste



## JustJoel (Mar 3, 2019)

In the recent thread about forgetting things at the supermarket, it was noted that people who don’t like cilantro because it “tastes like soap” are genetically disposed to perceive the taste that way. This phenomenon has been studied and proven, from what I’ve read.

What other genetic dispositions do you think there might be regarding the sense of taste? For instance, a lot of people say beets taste like dirt (myself included). Is this genetic? Or do beets actually taste like dirt?

What part would such a genetic mutation play in evolution?


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## RPCookin (Mar 3, 2019)

I'm not sure if this is the same thing, but I've found that I seem to be more sensitive to bitter flavors than many people.  I really can't deal with flavors like coffee (even if I use a lot sugar and cream, it still turns my stomach), and I don't like beers that are heavy on hops like most IPA's.  I dislike eggplant for the same reason.  They don't taste like something else, they just don't taste good to me.

I love cilantro, and feel that a traditional salsa without it is rather bland and uninspired.


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## JustJoel (Mar 3, 2019)

RPCookin said:


> I'm not sure if this is the same thing, but I've found that I seem to be more sensitive to bitter flavors than many people.  I really can't deal with flavors like coffee (even if I use a lot sugar and cream, it still turns my stomach), and I don't like beers that are heavy on hops like most IPA's.  I dislike eggplant for the same reason.  They don't taste like something else, they just don't taste good to me.
> 
> I love cilantro, and feel that a traditional salsa without it is rather bland and uninspired.


Has this been a lifelong condition for you?


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## JustJoel (Mar 3, 2019)

RPCookin said:


> I'm not sure if this is the same thing, but I've found that I seem to be more sensitive to bitter flavors than many people.  I really can't deal with flavors like coffee (even if I use a lot sugar and cream, it still turns my stomach), and I don't like beers that are heavy on hops like most IPA's.  I dislike eggplant for the same reason.  They don't taste like something else, they just don't taste good to me.
> 
> I love cilantro, and feel that a traditional salsa without it is rather bland and uninspired.


I love cilantro too!


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## Andy M. (Mar 3, 2019)

SO and I are among those that taste soap when eating raw cilantro. I find when it's cooked into a dish, the taste isn't an issue.


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## GotGarlic (Mar 3, 2019)

Apparently 17 have been discovered so far. .



> Italian researchers studying the genetic basis of food cravings have discovered 17 genes related to liking specific foods including dark chocolate, artichokes, bacon, coffee and of course broccoli. Additionally, in separate studies the team also discovered genes linked with salt perception and metabolizing certain types of food.
> 
> Together, the series of studies bolsters a branch of research called nutrigenetics, which focuses on understanding the way our genes affect our choice of foods and our body’s ability to process these foods. Researchers believe the studies could contribute to personalized diets that make healthy foods tastier by catering to people’s preferences.



http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d...ods-may-be-written-in-our-genes/#.XHwApexOm2d



> ... Now that we’ve covered some the basics of genetics, let’s talk about nutrigenomics. Nutrigenomics studies how our individual genetic makeup contributes to how we process what we eat and drink, and how this may affect health outcomes like obesity or cardiovascular disease risk. It looks at the interaction between nutrients and other dietary compounds with the human genome – all the way down at the molecular level. Work in nutrigenomics began about 15 years ago after the conclusion of the Human Genome Project, where we learned that while 99.9 percent of everyone’s genes are the same, the remaining 0.1 percent are responsible for the vast array of differences between individuals. This includes our response to diet.



https://foodinsight.org/in-the-know-about-nutrigenomics/


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## Just Cooking (Mar 3, 2019)

Interesting subject..

Throughout my life, if something doesn't please my taste buds I just don't eat/use it..

Ross


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## roadfix (Mar 3, 2019)

I love cilantro, both the smell and taste.    

I don't think I know what papayas taste like.    The smell alone gags me so that's as far as I'll go.    The same goes with natto.


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## JustJoel (Mar 3, 2019)

roadfix said:


> I love cilantro, both the smell and taste.
> 
> I don't think I know what papayas taste like.    The smell alone gags me so that's as far as I'll go.    The same goes with natto.


I don’t even need to _smell_ natto to gag. Just the sight of it revolts me! But I don’t think it’s genetic, I think it’s because natto is just revolting. A very much “acquired taste.”

I too do not like papaya. Or persimmon.


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## taxlady (Mar 3, 2019)

Andy M. said:


> SO and I are among those that taste soap when eating raw cilantro. I find when it's cooked into a dish, the taste isn't an issue.


Same here, well sort of. I just strongly dislike cilantro. I don't think it particularly tastes like soap, but it has been a long time since I tasted soap. I also find it's not an issue when it's cooked. That took a long time to figure out.


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## roadfix (Mar 3, 2019)

JustJoel said:


> I don’t even need to _smell_ natto to gag. Just the sight of it revolts me!



Funny you mentioned that.    Last week my wife brought home a couple of side dishes for me, in solid, vacuum sealed packaging, labeled all in Japanese.   Obviously she had no idea what she was buying     So when I saw them in the fridge the following day I immediately felt this queasy feeling in my gut and told her exactly what they were and that I can die from eating this stuff....


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## roadfix (Mar 3, 2019)

We have a good family friend who's 100% Mexican and cannot stand cilantro and onions.   I always garnish my tacos with chopped onions and cilantro.    His tacos always look rather boring.
Also, sometimes when I make curry and calls for 2 large onions,  I need to use onion powder instead when I know our friend will be joining for dinner.


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## taxlady (Mar 3, 2019)

GotGarlic said:


> Apparently 17 have been discovered so far. .
> 
> 
> 
> ...


  I just read that first article. It was interesting. I particularly found this interesting,

 "Interestingly, none of these 17 genes encoded a taste or smell receptor — the obvious candidates for influencing our appetites. Thus, researchers don’t yet know why variants of these genes would impact our favorite foods."

I just read a paper, _Genetic Predisposition and Taste Preference: Impact on Food Intake and Risk of Chronic Disease._

  They list a number of genes and SNPs on those genes that are related to taste receptors. There are a number of different receptors for bitter. That could explain why I notice bitter in dark chocolate, coffee made with dark roast beans, quinine, grapefruit, sodium benzoate, etc. But, I don't notice any bitter in broccoli or Brussels sprouts.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-012-0021-3

I think it's likely that food preference are a combination of genetics, culture, and exposure.


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## RPCookin (Mar 3, 2019)

JustJoel said:


> Has this been a lifelong condition for you?



Yes.  For as long as I can remember, I've disliked anything that is bitter.  Sometimes it can be disguised sufficiently, but things like coffee just permeate  whatever they are mixed in with and turn the whole thing into an inedible concoction for me.  

I like milk chocolate, but can't stand any kind of dark chocolate.  Adding coffee to chocolate to make mocha is a total waste of chocolate.  

I love toll house cookies, but I make them with only about 1/3 of the semi-sweet chocolate chips called for in the recipe.  My wife  knows if she only buys dark chocolate candy that I won't be tempted to pilfer any.


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## GotGarlic (Mar 3, 2019)

taxlady said:


> I just read a paper, _Genetic Predisposition and Taste Preference: Impact on Food Intake and Risk of Chronic Disease._
> 
> They list a number of genes and SNPs on those genes that are related to taste receptors. There are a number of different receptors for bitter. That could explain why I notice bitter in dark chocolate, coffee made with dark roast beans, quinine, grapefruit, sodium benzoate, etc. But, I don't notice any bitter in broccoli or Brussels sprouts.
> 
> ...



I think so, too.

Curious - when you read a paper like this, do you have to look up any of the words?


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## taxlady (Mar 3, 2019)

GotGarlic said:


> I think so, too.
> 
> Curious - when you read a paper like this, do you have to look up any of the words?



Absolutely. I probably spent more time looking up words and stuff than reading the paper.


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## GotGarlic (Mar 3, 2019)

taxlady said:


> Absolutely. I probably spent more time looking up words and stuff than reading the paper.


I've done that, and I still wonder if I'm missing something because I could be misinterpreting the context or don't know how certain tests work, etc. Reading scientific papers is HARD [emoji38]


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## Vinylhanger (Mar 3, 2019)

Not sure if it is genetics, but I can taste the metal in cheap silverware.  Everyone else in the family just thinks I'm being a silverware snob.


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## Rascal (Mar 3, 2019)

Ok I'm gonna share something here, when I was about 14 a girl I has been seeing got pregnant, others were also seeing her. Another guy was fingered by her as the father. I never thought anything since. About 4 years ago I got a txt. Long story short I am the father of her son. We met and he's a dead spit of me, now here's where it gets weird. His food tastes are EXACTLY the same as mine, down to milk shakes flavour, ice cream flavour, pie flavour, his hates are mine also. It really freaks me out. He's a good cook as well, we even had the same motorbikes as a youngster. Triumph trident.  It's really really odd the coincidence?

Russ


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## roadfix (Mar 3, 2019)

Rascal said:


> It's really really odd the coincidence?
> 
> Russ



No, not at all.   Siblings, for instance, separated at birth and reunited years later have more similarities than differences.


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## Cheryl J (Mar 3, 2019)

JustJoel said:


> In the recent thread about forgetting things at the supermarket, it was noted that people who don’t like cilantro because it “tastes like soap” are genetically disposed to perceive the taste that way. This phenomenon has been studied and proven, from what I’ve read.
> 
> What other genetic dispositions do you think there might be regarding the sense of taste? *For instance, a lot of people say beets taste like dirt (myself included). Is this genetic? Or do beets actually taste like dirt?*
> 
> What part would such a genetic mutation play in evolution?


 
Hi, Joel.  I've heard that before, too.  Beets must be one of those genetic taste things.  I love beets and don't think they taste like dirt at all.  If anything, I find the taste of roasted beets more on the sweet side.  

Unless they're pickled - I don't care for those as much. JMO.


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## taxlady (Mar 3, 2019)

I cooked up some beets to make pickled beets. They were kind of old and sorry looking. I threw them out because they tasted like dirt after I cooked them. Beets have never tasted like dirt to me before.


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## GotGarlic (Mar 4, 2019)

I'm not sure differences in food preferences are necessarily related to genetics. Sometimes, people like or don't like certain things because of cultural differences, their parents' preferences, whether something is familiar, etc. Different people also differ in the sensitivity of their taste buds; for example, some perceive bitterness more than most, like RP was saying. We'll have to see what the scientists doing this research find out about it. Otherwise, we're just guessing.


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## Kayelle (Mar 4, 2019)

Lots of thought provoking information here, and yes I read it all including the links. 

"Nutrigenomics" is fascinating and something completely new to me.


I guess it must be fate or luck to be married to someone who has the exact same intense likes and dislikes when it comes to food. Now that puzzles me.


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## Addie (Mar 4, 2019)

Andy M. said:


> SO and I are among those that taste soap when eating raw cilantro. I find when it's cooked into a dish, the taste isn't an issue.



Ditto here. It is the main reason I am not a fan of flavors from the southern part of our country. Leave out the cilantro, and I am willing to give it a try.


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## taxlady (Mar 4, 2019)

Kayelle said:


> Lots of thought provoking information here, and yes I read it all including the links.
> 
> "Nutrigenomics" is fascinating and something completely new to me.
> 
> ...


Throwing out a wild guess: Maybe the same or related genes makes a person give off a specific type or group of pheromone that is/are particularly attractive to people with those same genes.


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## GotGarlic (Mar 4, 2019)

Kayelle said:


> I guess it must be fate or luck to be married to someone who has the exact same intense likes and dislikes when it comes to food. Now that puzzles me.



Was your first husband the same way?

I'd guess it's one of those things that makes you feel comfortable with a person. If you dated someone who had a lot of food dislikes, or disliked things you especially like, I imagine it would turn you off the person and you wouldn't end up married to him.


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## Andy M. (Mar 4, 2019)

The International Food Information Council Foundation website set off an alarm bell in my suspicious mind so I checked. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Food_Information_Council

Now this link IS from Wikipedia and not the Encyclopedia Britannica so do with it what you will.


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## Just Cooking (Mar 4, 2019)

Kayelle said:


> Lots of thought provoking information here, and yes I read it all including the links.
> 
> "Nutrigenomics" is fascinating and something completely new to me.
> 
> ...



Interesting... My first wife and I had exact likes in food and most all else.. I have to be reasonable and believe that our marrying at 19 had a lot to do with that.. 

Ross


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## GotGarlic (Mar 4, 2019)

Andy M. said:


> The International Food Information Council Foundation website set off an alarm bell in my suspicious mind so I checked.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Food_Information_Council
> 
> Now this link IS from Wikipedia and not the Encyclopedia Britannica so do with it what you will.


Sometimes good information can come from iffy sources  although I have no problem with Monsanto or genetically modified foods. And the Center for Food Safety, which criticizes IFIC, is itself an advocacy group against GM food and not an impartial observer. 

I don't see anything suspicious in the article I posted; I read several before deciding on that one, because it has a quick review of genetics.


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## Andy M. (Mar 4, 2019)

The article didn’t really say much beyond explaining the terminology and saying it’s in its infancy.


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## Kayelle (Mar 4, 2019)

taxlady said:


> Throwing out a wild guess: Maybe the same or related genes makes a person give off a specific type or group of pheromone that is/are particularly attractive to people with those same genes.




That's an interesting theory Taxi. You could be right.




GotGarlic said:


> Was your first husband the same way?
> 
> I'd guess it's one of those things that makes you feel comfortable with a person. If you dated someone who had a lot of food dislikes, or disliked things you especially like, I imagine it would turn you off the person and you wouldn't end up married to him.




It was similar with my first husband too GG, although he had a passion for black licorice, but I couldn't stand even the smell of it. Other than that, we were on the mark with tastes also.






Just Cooking said:


> Interesting... My first wife and I had exact likes in food and most all else.. I have to be reasonable and believe that our marrying at 19 had a lot to do with that..
> 
> Ross




My first husband and I were also married as 19 yr olds Ross. Like you, we kind of grew into our adult tastes together. 

Souschef and I didn't even meet till we were officially Senior Citizens.


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## GotGarlic (Mar 5, 2019)

Andy M. said:


> The article didn’t really say much beyond explaining the terminology and saying it’s in its infancy.


Mm hmm. That's the point [emoji2]


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