How and why are taste different in different parts of the globe?

Question

For instance, Indians and mexicans are interested in spicy food, Europians are more intrested in sweet food,etc. Why is it so?

Answer 1

Mexicans & Indians live in hot or tropical climates, spicy food makes you sweat (cools the body down). it's similar to drinking hot tea in 120 deg F.

cultural influences as well.

Answer 2

Generally people's tastes, food, cuisines of various ethnicities in the world were nurtured by the environment, the cultural influences of the region and the topography of the land.

For instance, the Japans (as it were known to European mariners then) -isolated by the seas around all the main islands - lived off the sea primarily. Early foreign food influences by the Spanish, Portugese Jesuits were largely insignificant because Japan was all shinto, and Buddhists. Consuming red meat was totally alien. And without the introduction of spices, chillies into Japanese culture, the greater part of their traditional food until today (teppanyaki, teriyaki comes much later) were more natural in taste, appearance and were almost never fried, grilled or baked - all of which required precious wood fuel.

Food preference is a matter of conditioning over the years. I took my black coffees sweetened with sugar for years until I worked in a Swiss farm where the good people there drank their coffees unsweetened - I eventually grew to like it and upon returning to London, I did not revert to British tastes for sweetened teas and coffee.

Answer 3

Mexicans eat more spicy food to fight illness or pain. They do not have Walgreen's. Europe like sweet, because it is a luxury. We Americans eat McDonald's because of cheap and convince. Asians also eat spicy food to kill pain and take ginger or lemon grass bath to reduce fevers.

Imagine, that you were in the Jungle and without medicine. What are you going to do next ?

Answer 4

I think also that the hotter the region, the more variety of vegetables and spices are available, giving you a wider selection of tastes. It has to be closely aligned with temperature - in general, the colder the region, the less intense the spice of the food. Hellooooo, British food anyone?

Answer 5

Apparently you have never eaten German knackwurst, Hungarian goulash, Swiss cheese, and any number of Italian dishes. These are all very flavorful and savory items.
That said, people develop a cuisine based on foods they have locally available.

Answer 6

IT DEPENDS ON WHAT CAN BE GROWN IN THAT AREA