Looking past the recent vegan drama, have you ever wondered why your pet might not like particular foods? Have you ever actually tasted the food yourself?

I have, and some taste more like a chemistry lab than actual nutrition.

  • Otter@lemmy.caEnglish
    4·
    2 months ago

    Yup, cats can’t taste sweetness for that reason, while birds don’t have receptors for spice and can eat chillies easily.

    That’s just the taste buds themselves, additionally:

    • A large part of our taste response is tied to smell. This is why food tastes different when sick. It’s also hard to try yourself because you can “smell” through the back of your throat too
    • the air around us will affect taste perception, which is why some foods taste better or worse on a plane
    • genetic factors exist, such as how some people taste cilantro/parsley as soapy