"tastes" news and stories

Some scientists are trying to determine the role that sound plays in our perception of food, after the discovery that eating crunchy foods produces small pulses of ultrasound. Though doubtless everyone has heard the loud crunch of tortilla chips ringing in their ears, is the sound the deciding factor in your level of satisfaction with the chip? The argument about the tree in the forest could certainly be applied here. It is difficult to select a very crunchy food that does not produce a sound when chewed, or in which the taste could be perceived as an element separate from the act of eating it. Consider that there are many items that found along with food and are not eaten, though they would certainly produce a crunch if chewed, like the bones in meat. The sound does not enhance the flavor or the likelihood that the bones will be eaten. It is possible that they might taste worse if not for their crunch? Perhaps sound can be described as a property of crunchy foods, not as a separate element of the sense of taste.

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New research demonstrates that the brain reacts differently to scent depending on whether it is drawn in by mouth or by nose, finally giving evidence to support why sommeliers taste wine by sniffing, then slurping. Scientists tested four smells; chocolate, lavendar, and two chemicals. Chocolate was the only one which strongly activated two different regions of the brain. The researchers posit that our brain picks out food smells as being different from non-food smells early on, but say that they need to do more foodie sniff tests to learn more.

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