Background & aims: Taste is a very important factor affecting nutritional intake and compliance. Subjective taste may differ among nationalities. In the present study we examined differences in subjective taste according to food composition and nationality. Methods: Twelve Japanese and 4 Sri Lankan students took part in the study. Food samples of 3 different mixtures of chicken and rice were tasted: Food 1, 3 g chicken/10 g rice; Food 2, 6 g chicken/10 g rice; Food 3, 9 g chicken/10 g rice. The sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and astringent taste of each of the food samples, as well as their deliciousness, were scored subjectively on a scale of 0e5. Results were compared between the 3 types of food samples, as well as between nationalities. In addition, concentrations of blood micronutrients were measured. Results: Across all 3 types of food, the change in subjective taste of salty, sweet, and sour differed significantly between Japanese and Sri Lankan students (P ¼ 0.022, P ¼ 0.008, and P ¼ 0.025, respectively). However, bitter and astringent taste, as well as the perceived overall deliciousness of the foods, was comparable Abbreviations: ONS, oral nutritional supplement; IQR, interquartile range.