However much of a food lover you are, there are probably one or two things you can’t stand – or at least, think you can’t... It’s our 2024 mission to get everyone conquering their food fears, opening up a new world of culinary possibilities. Of course, we’re not going to make you eat something that brings you out in hives, but if it’s just a dislike, we reckon we can get you over it. Don’t believe us? Read what the scientists say, then pluck up the courage to try our gateway recipe
FEATURE WORDS SUE QUINN RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING EMILY GUSSIN FOOD PHOTOGRAPH INDIA WHILEY-MORTON
CAN YOU REALLY GET OVER A FOOD AVERSION?
What’s your yuck food? Brussels sprouts? Anchovies? Or maybe the very thought of blue cheese. Whatever it is, many of us have at least one thing that makes us blanch. But can we train ourselves to like the foods we hate?
There are lots of reasons why people have an aversion to certain foods. For a start, we’re all born with a dislike for bitter tastes, which is why many toddlers spit out foods like brussels sprouts. “This is our innate reaction. Evolution makes us dislike bitter tastes because in nature most toxic things are bitter,” explains Dr Qian Yang, assistant professor at the University of Nottingham’s Sensory Science Centre.
Genetics also play a part. Some people perceive the taste of fresh coriander as soapy because they have a gene that makes them hypersensitive to a compound in the herb. Can’t stand violet cream chocolates? You might be genetically wired to perceive violets as pungently sour instead of floral.
There’s another consideration: some people are ‘super tasters’, born with a comparatively large number of taste buds, which make them highly sensitive to all sorts of tastes, and they therefore find many foods offputting.
Often, though, we dislike foods because we’re unfamiliar with them, and that starts when we’re weaned and into childhood. “Parenting style plays a big role in shaping food preferences,” Dr Yang says. Being exposed to particular flavours and textures regularly from a young age makes you more likely to enjoy them as an adult. For example, on the Indian continent, parents often introduce tiny amounts of chilli to babies so they become accustomed to it.
“Familiarity and habit play a big role in our food preference,” Dr Yang says. In other words, our brain tells us to be wary of foods we’re unfamiliar with and haven’t tasted often.
So, are we stuck with our food likes and
