It's a matter of taste
A food scientist ays Canadians are 'flavour adventure seekers'

KEITH BEATY PHOTOS/TORONTO STAR
University of Guelph food science professor Massimo Marcone administers taste bud tests to establish whether people are non-tasters, tasters or super-tasters. Do-it-yourself with blue food colouring, cotton swab, a paper hole reinforcement and a magnifying glass.

 

Dr Marcone tests people to see if they are non-tasters or supertasters. 25 % of the population are supertaskers, and non tasters makeup anothe 25%. In between are the normal tasters. The doctor says it's all to do with genetics, but he says Canadians are flavour seekers.

Decima Research polled 1,000 Canadian adults in July 2005 about flavour preferences for Tabasco-brand hot sauces and found:

  • Seven out of 10 Canadians claim they're bolder eaters than they were five years ago.
  • While science suggests only 25 per cent of us should be truly bold in flavour choices, 66 per cent of respondants felt they're bold tasters.
  • Possible reasons for our bold eating include: a wealth of restaurants (81 per cent), multiculturalism (78 per cent), sense of independence (67 per cent) and increased diversity in grocery stores (56 per cent).
  • Our favourite five bold flavours are: citrus, hot sauce, lemongrass, chipotle and cilantro.
  • The third of Canadians who claim to be less bold tasters blame it on a meat-and-potatoes upbringing (64 per cent), sensitivity to strong flavours (51 per cent) and uncertainty about how to incorporate bold flavours into cooking (31 per cent).

According to Tabassco preferences by taster type:

  • Non-tasters: habanero hot sauce, chili flakes, pickled ginger, crumbled gorgonzola, grated fennel, chopped mint, wasabi, chopped anchovy, spicy-sweet chili sauce and olive tapenade.
  • Tasters: Plain or chipotle hot sauce, chipotle mayonnaise, chopped cilantro, flavoured salt, crumbled feta, pomegranate seeds, pesto, chocolate shavings, chopped walnuts/almonds/pine nuts, sweet/hot salsas.
  • Super-tasters: Garlic pepper or green pepper hot sauce, cinnamon, ketchup, sea salt, black and whitesesame seeds, hummus, seasoned rice vinegar, black bean sauce, flax seeds and citrus segments or juice.

Source: Toronto Star Sep. 28, 2005. Page C1 JENNIFER BAINFOOD EDITOR