In the past, we have delved into the evolution of taste preferences in an individual’s lifetime by exploring why flavors thought to be “gross” as a child might be savored as an adult. But what about the role of flavor in the evolution of humans as a species?

A new book came out recently by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John McQuaid detailing how flavor was a significant driving force in human development.

“Flavor is the most important ingredient at the core of what we are,” McQuaid writes. “It created us.”

In an interview with NPR, McQuaid discussed how flavor manifested from the need to out-compete other primitive creatures.

As this competitiveness amongst species grew, so did the human brain due to the necessity of sharper senses, fueled by the advent of eating meat. Meat provided the calories missing from the human diet, which mainly consisted of fruits, leaves and maybe some nuts. But eating raw meat got old and so McQuaid links our appreciation for flavor to when humans began cooking meat.

We have written before about how the experience of flavor engages the brain more than any other behavior. Flavor involves more than just taste – it is how the senses work together to create an experience.

So we ask you, what do you think about the McQuaid’s research? Do you agree that flavor played this major role in human development? Share your thoughts with us below!

The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States (FEMA) was founded in 1909 and is the national association of the U.S. flavor industry.  FEMA’s membership is comprised of flavor manufacturers, flavor users, flavor ingredient suppliers, and others with an interest in the U.S. flavor industry.  The association is committed to ensuring a safe supply of flavor ingredients used in foods and beverages enjoyed by billions of men, women, and children around the world.