Okay, so maybe you weren’t a picky eater.
Maybe broccoli was just screaming at you while everyone else at the table was sitting there like, “What? It’s fine.”
Because it turns out we do not all taste food the same way.
Like, literally.
And there are these little supertaster test strips on Amazon that can give you a clue about whether you experience certain tastes way more intensely than everybody else.
So if your mom has spent the last 30 years telling people about the time you found ONE microscopic onion in the spaghetti sauce?
This is your moment.
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First of all, what the heck is a supertaster?
A supertaster is basically someone who experiences certain tastes — especially bitter ones — much more intensely than other people do.
Scientists have been studying this forever using bitter compounds called PTC and PROP.
And this is the absolutely bonkers part.
Put PTC on one person’s tongue and they might immediately be like:
OH MY GOD. BITTER. GET IT OUT OF MY MOUTH.
Another person can taste the exact same thing and barely notice it.
Same strip.
Same compound.
Completely different experience.
Which suddenly makes every childhood dinner-table argument feel a little unfair.
And yes, genetics are involved
There is a bitter-taste receptor gene called TAS2R38, and different versions of that gene are strongly associated with how intensely people taste compounds like PTC and PROP.
That does NOT mean there is one magical “picky eater gene.”
Humans could never make anything that simple.
But genetics really can affect the way food tastes to you.
Some people experience certain bitter flavors much more strongly. Supertasters can also be more sensitive to other sensations in food, including sweetness and that spicy burn you get from things like peppers.
So when your friend is eating something nuclear and telling you, “It’s not even spicy”…
Ma’am.
Maybe it is not spicy to you.
I am currently seeing through time.
This is sort of like the cilantro thing
You know how cilantro tastes fresh and delicious to some people, but other people are absolutely convinced Chipotle just grated Irish Spring all over their burrito?
There are genetic associations with that, too.
It is not the same gene and it is not exactly the same biological process as PTC tasting, but it proves the bigger point:
Two people can put the exact same food in their mouths and genuinely not experience the same flavor.
We have talked about this before with foods people either absolutely love or completely hate, and cilantro is basically the poster child for it.
Nobody can agree on cilantro because, apparently, some of us are eating an herb and some of us are eating a freshly washed countertop.
So what do these supertaster strips actually do?
The little taste-testing kits usually use prepared paper strips containing compounds such as PTC, often with a plain control strip so you have something to compare it to.
One manufacturer of PTC testing paper says roughly 7 out of 10 people can detect a taste from PTC, which is why these things are commonly used in genetics and heredity demonstrations.
You put the strip on your tongue according to the kit directions and see what happens.
For some people?
Not much.
For others?
BITTER CITY.
Population: your tongue.
And now everybody at the table is yelling about what their paper tastes like, which honestly sounds like an excellent Friday night to me.
Does a bitter strip officially prove you are a supertaster?
Not quite.
And this is where I refuse to ruin our fun but do have to put on my responsible-adult pants for approximately six seconds.
A PTC strip can show you how strongly you perceive that particular bitter compound.
That is real.
Your genetics can play a major role in that response.
Also real.
But scientists use more than a single strip to study the broader idea of “supertasting.” Taste receptor genetics, perceived intensity, taste-bud density and other factors can all be part of the picture.
So this is not:
Congratulations! Your $12 piece of paper has diagnosed your entire personality!
It is more:
Well THAT is interesting, and perhaps explains some things.
Which, frankly, is all I require from a weird thing I ordered on Amazon.
It could explain why some foods seem SO intense to you
Researchers studying PROP and PTC sensitivity have found differences in how people respond to bitter foods and drinks, including things like grapefruit, green tea, cruciferous vegetables and soy products.
This does not mean every supertaster hates Brussels sprouts.
Please do not send your Brussels-sprout-loving supertaster cousin after me.
Food preference involves taste, smell, texture, memories, preparation and about nine million other things.
But it DOES mean we can officially retire this sentence:
“Just try it. It isn’t even bitter.”
You don’t know that.
It isn’t bitter to you.
That is different.
Honestly, I want to make everyone I know do this
This is what makes the strips so fun.
You need multiple people.
Get your kids. Get your parents. Get the friend who puts hot sauce on things that already contain hot sauce.
Everybody does the test according to the instructions, and nobody gets to announce their reaction until everyone has tasted theirs.
Because the second Aunt Susan screams, “THAT IS DISGUSTING,” she has ruined the experiment for the rest of us.
Then compare.
Who tastes basically nothing?
Who gets a little bitterness?
Who immediately looks betrayed by a tiny piece of paper?
You can grab the supertaster test strips on Amazon here.
And if you have spent your whole life carefully removing one microscopic green speck from your food while your family called you dramatic?
I am not saying this test is going to rewrite your childhood.
I am just saying Mom might owe you an apology.
And now you have footnotes.
