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Ah, science. We knew we could count on you to figure this one out, and by this one, we mean the reason why pizza is so fricken addictive.
Scientists have reportedly found evidence that humans actually have the ability to register a sixth taste connected to carbohydrate-rich foods. This new discovery might not only be added to the registered list of tastes which includes, salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami, but could also explain why we love starchy foods so much.
Lead researcher Juyun Lim from Oregon State University explained the findings to Jessica Hamzelou from New Scientist:
“I believe that’s why people prefer complex carbs. Sugar tastes great in the short term, but if you’re offered chocolate and bread, you might eat a small amount of the chocolate, but you’d choose the bread in larger amounts, or as a daily staple.”
The study followed 22 subjects as they tasted a bunch of different solutions made up of different levels of carbohydrates and then asked each subject to rate the taste of each solution.”They called the taste ‘starchy’. Asians would say it was ‘rice-like’, while Caucasians described it as ‘bread-like’ or ‘pasta-like’. It’s like eating flour,” said Lim. Further steps in the research concluded that humans are actually able to specifically taste carbohydrates, which up until this point was not considered to be possible. The results might also suggest why humans throughout history have gravitated towards carbohydrate-rich foods, like bread and rice.
Thank you, science! Now we can justify our love of pizza and all other things bread-related.
