Americans and taste perception...

[AlexR]

... according to a book on Saint-Emilion I'm translating:

"Selon vos habitudes gastronomiques, votre perception des saveurs variera : il faut souvent doubler l’échantillon de sucre pour qu’un citoyen américain en sente le goût".

i.e.

The way you perceive flavours will vary according to your eating habits. You often need to double the amount of sugar in food for an American to be able to taste it.

Comments?

Best regards,
Alex R.

[Bacchus]

What's the book, Alex?

If I have my history right, the tendency towards more sugar, along with the increase in fat and fillers, in the North American diet began in the post-WWII era with the increase in food processing. Ever on the look out for increasing the shelf life of food, cutting costs in its processing, etc, the sugar and fat content of processed foods (including fast foods) kept being increased. Taste buds, I suppose, adjusted to the change.

[RDD]

Luckily my Mom was a proud Newfoundlander and an excellent cook.
We rarely ate processed food.
Although as kids we just had to have those new fangled TV dinners.

Most sugar today has been replaced by high frutose corn syrup. So I don't know where that ends up in the mix.

I really appreaciate the way French food seasons just enough.
But at the same time I like the over the top English toffee's, custards or plum pudding with hard sauce.
Actually I would think the English also have a big sweet tooth.

[JonoB]

That's why we love Sauternes so much!!

[Winona Chief]

"The way you perceive flavours will vary according to your eating habits. You often need to double the amount of sugar in food for an American to be able to taste it."

The first sentence certainly rings true. The second sentence is an arrogant and ridiculous over-generalization. I suppose it may be true about some or many Americans. But America is a big country of about 300 million people with an amazing amount of diversity in ethnicity and culture as well as taste in food, wine, etc.

The large amounts of sugar (or corn syrup) used in processed foods is mainly because of the low cost. Many mass produced commercial fruit jams, jellies aand syrups taste much more of the sweetener than of the fruit. Needless to say, I don't buy them. Fortunately, there are many high quality producers (though smaller and more expensive) that do make intensely flavored, not so sweet, fruit dominated jams, jellies and syrups that are to my taste.

Chris Bublitz

[Houndsong]

After looking at that Paris-Brest pastry, I'd say the French have not so much room to criticize. Although I sense that was more of butter than sugar. But sugar too.

[jal]

I can eat eclairs and beignets all day long, I cannot stand Krispy Kreme. I say they're right. The US consumer is a lot more tolerant of sweetness than the European one.

[JonB]

I'd say an American can taste sugar without doubling the amount that (what was the comparison species??) can taste, but that the average American palate prefers and is accustomed to sweetness (e.g. ripe fruit). Likewise, we enjoy it when our economy is sweet.

[Houndsong]

I've only met you once Jacques but it was an instant bromance. But who couldn't love one so like oneself? (in selected characteristics). Beignets, eclairs >> Krispy Kreme. Funny thing is I remember KK had a big presence in New Orleans which was where I saw it first long ago. I didn't recognize them as donuts, even.