Foodies enjoy different tastes than the rest of us

ByABC News
April 25, 2012, 9:26 PM

— -- Looks like foodies really are wired differently from the rest of us.

Food snobs, as many foodies take a special pride in being called, favor three distinct flavor characteristics above all others: bitter, such as radicchio or kale (62%); umami (a Japanese word meaning pleasant savory taste), such as soy sauce and miso soup (61%); and sour, such as plain yogurt and sourdough bread (59%), according to a new, national online survey of more than 500 consumers by the research firm Culinary Visions Panel.

Foodie flavor preferences are in stark contrast to that of the general population, whose favorite flavor characteristics are far more familiar: sweet (81%) and salty (67%).

But foodies are typically the trend setters whose food choices often blaze a path that the mainstream ultimately follows. Foodies tend to always want to try something new — never the same thing — when they dine out. The survey results sound a clear warning to foodmakers and food sellers that old food and beverage formulas won't cut the mustard in the new culinary world.

"You have to understand your customer's relation to food or you don't have a prayer of satisfying them," warns Sharon Olson, executive director of Culinary Visions Panel.

At the same time, our evolving palates point to both cultural and biological changes that are influencing our eating habits. Some foodies are inherently more adventurous in their eating habits, Olson says, but many Millennials also are influenced by peer and societal pressures to try new things. Then, there are some Boomer foodies, she says, whose taste buds have dulled and who are seeking snappier flavors.

"No one is born liking anchovies," says Ken Albala, food history professor at University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif. "The more you eat of it, the more you think it's great."

The survey also revealed big differences in flavor preferences among the age groups. Gen X, Baby Boomers and seniors preferred salty and sweet more than Millennials. Millennials ranked the more adventurous flavor profiles such as bitter, sour and umami higher than other age groups.

But mainstream consumers were mostly thumbs down on foodie favorites. Only 19% liked umami, 18% liked bitter and 16% preferred sour.

In the end, foodies will have impact, Albala says, "Being labeled a foodie is very fashionable."