Wally said:



"However, as an adult, I have tasted new things. Some were flavorful, others not. I assume it was like that when I was a baby/toddler."



Interestingly, I was reading an article on in utero fetal swallowing and taste. The article suggests that human fetuses are born with mature taste buds. The fetus is constantly swallowing amniotic fluid, and the thought is that the baby tastes the fluid and chemical components in it. Further, there is a study (looking for that link) that states a fetus develops  likes and dislikes to certain tastes and is possibly more apt to accept foods the mother has eaten during pregnancy since the taste is familiar. Not to mention that breast milk can have the taste of  what the mother eats.  Since we can assume most women eat a wide variety of foods when pregnant,sweets, etc., a fetus may have already learned to like (or dislike) many tastes prior to birth. Thereafter, babies and toddlers learn to eat what family eats.  



Here's the link to the article discussing development of fetal taste:  I need to find the one that discusses the hypothesis of developing fetal  taste preferences. I'll post it when I can find it. 



http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/content/current. 





Trish