The science of disgust: Why we (most of us) hate liver, brussels sprouts and cricket flour

The Washington Post:

Whether you consider yourself a picky eater or an adventurous one, just about everyone has those foods they loathe or just won’t touch. Polarizing foods, such as cilantro, mushrooms, or olives, can render a dish inedible for some. Others feel a bit queasy at the thought of eating offal, the internal organs of an animal, such as brain, testicles and heart. And to the average American, bugs are creatures never to be eaten except perhaps by accident.

…

“Almost everything that’s disgusting is of animal origin, but cultures vary as to what they find disgusting,” said Paul Rozin, professor emeritus in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, who is often called the father of disgust for his extensive research on the subject. “We eat cheese — rotted milk — but other cultures find that disgusting. South Asian cultures eat fish sauce which is made of rotted fish, but they love it.”

Read the whole story: The Washington Post