Eli5: Do our tastebuds actually “change” as we get older? Who do kids dislike a certain food, then start liking it as an adult?

Question

When I was a kid, I did not like spicy food. Now an adult, I love it.

In: 2025

Answer 1

Our taste becomes less acute the older we get. Great example from my childhood: got some milk out of grandparent’s fridge, sniffed it, and it was sour. Grandmother saw my face, came over to do the same, “this is not sour. It’s good.” I did not have milk that day.