The Big Misconception About Acquired Taste

There’s a reason bleu cheese, olives, and wasabi don’t appear on kids' menus: All three ingredients have assertive flavors that would turn off most children with functioning taste receptors. But something interesting happens after several years of development—many of the same kids that used to gag at anything bitter or funky start to accept, or actively seek out, those same bold flavors in their diets. This change has nothing to do with maturing taste buds. Rather, it can be explained by the purely psychological phenomenon of acquired taste.

Humans are born liking sweet foods and drinks, and they show an innate aversion to heat, bitterness, and other strong flavors. In other words, acquired taste isn’t limited to durian, liver, anchovies, and other foods that are polarizing among adults. Any food preference that doesn’t appeal to our most basic, ingrained desires has been acquired. That means broccoli, hot sauce, beer, pickles, ginger, dark chocolate, miso, and yogurt are all acquired tastes.

[connorlmccarty]

I did NOT realize that's what " acquired taste " meant. This helps so much

[marufhassan]

My aunt told me, "You do not dislike the food, you dislike how its cooked". This statement changed my life. I can eat a lot of veggies now because I know how I like to eat it.

[zachm]

As a kid, most of the crispy fresh greens in salads were way too bitter for me. One time I had a salad with creamy Caesar dressing, which covered and cut through the bitterness. I quite quickly started eating more and more salad, with less and less dressing.

This video sent me back to childhood as I outgrew a food adversity. Thanks for reminding me I can overcome subconscious hurdles!

[KiiboHasControversialOpinionss]

I’m trying to recover from my extremely debilitating and at times hospitalizing eating disorder (arfid) and this was definitely what I needed to see. I haven’t eaten a vegetable in years

[DonkeyTheWhale]

That quote, "Pretty much every culinary enjoyment in life is a trade off of short-term term terror for long-term enjoyment, " that's so poignant. True to many things in life.

[whatwherewho]

If someone had explained this to me as a child, I don't think I would have been anywhere near as fussy. Instead I was told off for not being grateful for what I had. Shame doesn't work, for anyone wondering.

[Lydia-ddbo]

I have autism which causes me to struggle a lot with trying new foods. But this video has genuinely changed my outlook on food. I know it sounds ridiculous, but looking at it this way is so helpful. Knowing there are probably tons of foods out there that I'd actually really enjoy gives me some hope.

[sarahmitchell]

FYI, they’ve done studies with babies eating flavors their mother ate while they were in the womb vs babies who’s mothers didn’t eat the food, and the ones who’d already been exposed liked the new foods right away.

[LakeGameCreepr]

Alternatively, having an acquired taste for alcoholic drinks is just learning to ignore the very valid warnings for poison

[NewportReds]

I was taught “Required” taste which meant I’m not leaving the table until my dinner was done.

[themount]

this video has actually taught me to acquire tastes like im collecting them, i now thoroughly enjoy black coffee, and i adore kimchi and have made about 10+ gallon jars since my newly acquired taste lol

[antonioa]

Ngl that instinct saved me the other day I tried to eat a gingko nut raw since I thought it was like a normal nut lmao. It tasted really off so I spit it out and found out they are super toxic unless you cook em.

[Nionivek]

There is also acquired taste in reverse. Sometimes after eating a food long enough the flaws in that food become more pronounced.

[uwo]

Every time I didn’t like something as a kid my mom would find ways to incorporate it into dinner and I’d never notice it was there. Now I enjoy basically everything and I thank her so much for it

[silverbeach]

You can also consciously ignore certain tastes. It's hard because of the initial "shock value" of something like bitterness, but once you can identify even one other flavor past that, it's really easy to focus on it rather than the unpleasant part pretty much immediately. Especially if someone who likes the food has told you what *they* taste from it, so you already know kind of what to expect.

[lukrezialaval]

that baby invented completely new levels of „dig in“ 😂

[lukas-withak]

The cut to a baby absolutely excavating a whole cake into his mouth like an industrial compactor is so hilarious

[aminahansen]

I grew up eating lots of different kinds of liquorice (including salty and spicy) in Denmark. I love those salty liquorice fish. I always found it funny to take some salty liquorice with me when travelling to other countries and offering it to locals. The faces people pull, that says "I really don't like this but I'm too polite to spit it out" are priceless 😅😂

[HelloThere.....]

Also your taste changes as you get older so you can actually start to perceive different flavors in things just by the passing of time.

[sedzanithilivhali]

Can we just appreciate how this is one of the very few channels that post good shorts?