Taste psychologist maps 'dialects' of flavour preference

Consumer tastes vary wildly around the world, and even within countries there can be marked differences in favoured flavours and textures.

A new study conducted for Costa Coffee by food psychologist Greg Tucker and the University of Nottingham’s Flavour Research Group investigated the development of taste preferences in the UK as a result of culture, geographical and environmental influences.

“Just as with spoken dialects, where accent is placed on different syllables and vowel formations, people from different regions have developed enhanced sensitivities to certain taste sensations and seek foods that trigger these,”​ said Professor Andy Taylor of the University of Nottingham.

Professor Taylor and his team use chemical, physical, psychological, sensory and brain imagining studies to see the link between a food’s flavour and the way it is sensed.

His scientific input was analysed in conjunction with findings face-to-face interviews conducted by Tucker, as well as with ten thousand interviews on food and drink studies from Costa’s database.

The result was the establishment of broad taste dialects across the UK, and the discovery that different dialects are based around different parts of the tongue.

For instance, the rich and creamy flavours appreciated by Scots are sensed at the back of the tongue, whereas people in the North East tend to prefer flavours that hit on the tip.

Development scope​

Tucker told FoodNavigator.com that the approach could be used by other food firms to develop products and determine whether different variants are needed to attract consumers from different places.

It could be especially useful in large countries which encompass a number of different cultures. For instance, a company making a product for the US may consider different versions for the East and West Coasts – and maybe for the Midwest too.

The same could be true in China, where there are a number of distinct regional cuisines.

As well as studying taste and flavour triggers psychology, Tucker’s company, a marketing clinic, also looks at other levers that can be adjusted to make branded food products appeal to different demographics – such as communication, advertising and brand image.

UK​ taste dialects ​

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Amongst the findings of the study commissioned by Costa CoffeeTaylor and Tucker found that the West Country is the source of the UK’s favourite regional foods, such as Devonshire cream teas and Cheddar cheese.

Scots eat relatively slowly and like melt-in-the-mouth foods like Yorkshire pudding and Italian ice-cream.

In the North East, on the other hand, desire for immediate satisfaction is said to stem from the region’s industrial history, where workers needed sustenance fast.

The Midland taste dialect is build around soft and suckable foods, with a sweet dimension, and foods that can be eaten with the hands. The researchers suggest that these factors mean the dialect was already predisposed to accept the Balti food introduced by Asian communities.