Flavor and some book recommendations

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/184155072240997265/

The diagram above shows one part of flavor. As you remember, aroma is part of flavor – aroma, mouthfeel, and taste. The diagram above breaks down the aroma of mandarin into several aromatic smells. As Holmes from the flavor book mentions, “There’s even a commercial service (http://www.foodpairing.com/en/home), for a monthly subscription, will let professional chefs and enthusiastic amateurs start with any ingredient and follow a web of molecular similarities to find other foods with supposedly complementary flavors.” A flavorists can improve the flavor of food and beverage products. The diagram can assist the flavorist to pair ingredients together. Also, chefs are well-versed in molecular gastronomy. They can combine several ingredients to get the right flavor in a dish. A combination of both – food science & culinary science – creates a field called culinology. There is a team of chefs, flavorists, food scientists, and other specialists that work together to make the right flavor. For example, reducing the salt content of food would require an adjustment to creaminess, and mouthfeel of a product. The flavorist works on different flavor combinations. The next step includes evaluating the product with the team. Each person gives the product a taste to see if the product is acceptable. This is done to evaluate the mouthfeel, taste, aroma, and acceptability of the product after the salt reduction.

Texture, aroma + taste + mouthfeel = flavor, and milk ( plant-based vs animal)

I recommend reading my mouthfeel, smell, and taste blog; it adds to what I’m going to talk about today. I’ve been thinking of alternative milks, and how it compares to regular milk. So, I decided to look into the subject a little more.

Image credit: Dreamstime

Note: Umami is the 5th taste after bitter, sour, salty, and sweet. The savory flavor is all over the tongue. Food examples, soy sauce, miso, and Asian cooking uses it often.

Taste buds, flavors, and senses

The taste buds on your tongue detect flavors and food groups, and help you identify the foods you eat. However, other senses play a role in how we experience food. You probably know that the smell of foods can have a strong effect on how they taste, but did you know that the appearance of food also changes how we experience it? Because we usually look at food before we put it in our mouths, the very first information your brain gets about any food comes from your eyes!

Mouthfeel, smell and taste

Image credit: Cooking with Sin

Creative looking picture, don’t you think? is your mouth watering yet? well, if it is you’re ready for food! You scoop the cream, ice cream, or whatever it is. How does the sample feel in your mouth? the word that food scientist refers to as mouthfeel. As the picture below continues, there are so many synonyms for mouthfeel.