Flavor: The Science of Our Most Neglected Sense PDF Download

Author: Bob Holmes
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393244431
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 217

View

Book Description
A journey into the surprising science behind our flavor senses. Can you describe how the flavor of halibut differs from that of red snapper? How the taste of a Fuji apple differs from a Spartan? For most of us, this is a difficult task: flavor remains a vague, undeveloped concept that we don’t know enough about to describe—or appreciate—fully. In this delightful and compelling exploration of our most neglected sense, veteran science reporter Bob Holmes shows us just how much we’re missing. Considering every angle of flavor from our neurobiology to the science and practice of modern food production, Holmes takes readers on a journey to uncover the broad range of factors that can affect our appreciation of a fine meal or an exceptional glass of wine. He peers over the shoulders of some of the most fascinating food professionals working today, from cutting-edge chefs to food engineers to mathematicians investigating the perfect combination of pizza toppings. He talks with flavor and olfactory scientists, who describe why two people can experience remarkably different sensations from the same morsel of food, and how something as seemingly unrelated as cultural heritage can actually impact our sense of smell. Along the way, even more surprising facts are revealed: that cake tastes sweetest on white plates; that wine experts’ eyes can fool their noses; and even that language can affect our sense of taste. Flavor expands our curiosity and understanding of one of our most intimate sensations, while ultimately revealing how we can all sharpen our senses and our enjoyment of the things we taste. Certain to fascinate everyone from gourmands and scientists to home cooks and their guests, Flavor will open your mind—and palette—to a vast, exciting sensory world.

Author: Bob Holmes
Publisher: W H Allen
ISBN: 9780753555903
Category : Flavor
Languages : en
Pages : 310

View

Book Description
Why should you serve red wine with classical music and white wine with pop music? What is it about a heavier bowl that makes your pudding taste better? And how can you make your food taste saltier without adding more salt? If any of these questions has sparked your appetite you need to read Flavour.New Scientistcorrespondent Bob Holmes has tasted a lot of things in the name of flavour. He's travelled all over the world, delved into cutting-edge scientific research, enlisted chefs, psychologists, molecular gastronomists, flavourists and farmers, attended the weirdest conventions, and even received very rare access to one of the world's few highly secretive flavour houses. For anyone who wants to be a better cook, get the best restaurant experience no matter where you go, or if you just want to make better decisions in the supermarket or about your diet.Flavourwill help you discover a deeper appreciation of what's on your plate and in your glass. A fascinating and surprising exploration into a world of high-definition flavour.

Author: Artur Cisar-Erlach
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1468316737
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 315

View

Book Description
“Part travelogue and part culinary adventure . . . a quirky, entertaining ramble through the many ways wood lends its flavor to food” (Bob Holmes, author of Flavor). Most people don’t expect wood to flavor their food beyond the barbecue, and gastronomists rarely discuss the significance of wood in the realm of taste. But trees have a far greater influence over our plate and palate than you might think. Over the centuries, it has been used in cooking, distilling, fermenting, and even perfume creation to produce a unique flavor and smell. In The Flavor of Wood, food communications expert Artur Cisar-Erlach embarks on a global journey to understand how trees infuse the world’s most delectable dishes through their smoke, sap, roots, and bark. His exploration covers everything from wooden barrels used to age scotch in Austria to the wood-burning pizza ovens of Naples to Canadian maple syrup producers—as well as cheese, tea, wine, blue yogurt, and more. Brimming with fascinating characters, unexpected turns, beautiful landscapes, scientific discoveries, and historic connections, The Flavor of Wood is the story of a passionate flavor hunter, and offers readers unparalleled access to some of the world’s highest quality cuisine and unknown tree flavors.

Author: Betina Piqueras-Fiszman
Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
ISBN: 008100351X
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 378

View

Book Description
Multisensory Flavor Perception: From Fundamental Neuroscience Through to the Marketplace provides state-of-the-art coverage of the latest insights from the rapidly-expanding world of multisensory flavor research. The book highlights the various types of crossmodal interactions, such as sound and taste, and vision and taste, showing their impact on sensory and hedonic perception, along with their consumption in the context of food and drink. The chapters in this edited volume review the existing literature, also explaining the underlying neural and psychological mechanisms which lead to crossmodal perception of flavor. The book brings together research which has not been presented before, making it the first book in the market to cover the literature of multisensory flavor perception by incorporating the latest in psychophysics and neuroscience. - Authored by top academics and world leaders in the field - Takes readers on a journey from the neurological underpinnings of multisensory flavor perception, then presenting insights that can be used by food companies to create better flavor sensations for consumers - Offers a wide perspective on multisensory flavor perception, an area of rapidly expanding knowledge

Author: Gretchen Rubin
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 059344275X
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 289

View

Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Happiness Project discovers a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. “Life in Five Senses invites us into the seismic shift toward a life grounded in sensation, vitality, and innate intelligence.”—GLENNON DOYLE, author of Untamed “An inspiring and practical guide to living in the moment.”—SUSAN CAIN, author of Bittersweet and Quiet For more than a decade, Gretchen Rubin had been studying happiness and human nature. Then, one day, a visit to her eye doctor made her realize that she’d been overlooking a key element of happiness: her five senses. She’d spent so much time stuck in her head that she’d allowed the vital sensations of life to slip away, unnoticed. This epiphany lifted her from a state of foggy preoccupation into a world invigorated by seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. In this journey of self-experimentation, Rubin explores the mysteries and joys of the five senses as a path to a happier, more mindful life. Drawing on cutting-edge science, philosophy, literature, and her own efforts to practice what she learns, she investigates the profound power of tuning in to the physical world. From the simple pleasures of appreciating the magic of ketchup and adding favorite songs to a playlist, to more adventurous efforts like creating a daily ritual of visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and attending a flavor university, Rubin shows us how to experience each day with depth, delight, and connection. In the rush of daily life, she finds, our five senses offer us immediate, sustainable ways to cheer up, calm down, and engage the world around us—as well as ways to glimpse the soul and touch the transcendent. Life in Five Senses is an absorbing, layered story of discovery filled with profound insights and practical suggestions about how to heighten our senses and use our powers of perception to live fuller, richer lives—and, ultimately, how to move through the world with more vitality and love.

Author: Ai Hisano
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674983890
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 345

View

Book Description
Ai Hisano exposes how corporations, the American government, and consumers shaped the colors of what we eat and even the colors of what we consider “natural,” “fresh,” and “wholesome.” The yellow of margarine, the red of meat, the bright orange of “natural” oranges—we live in the modern world of the senses created by business. Ai Hisano reveals how the food industry capitalized on color, and how the creation of a new visual vocabulary has shaped what we think of the food we eat. Constructing standards for the colors of food and the meanings we associate with them—wholesome, fresh, uniform—has been a business practice since the late nineteenth century, though one invisible to consumers. Under the growing influences of corporate profit and consumer expectations, firms have sought to control our sensory experiences ever since. Visualizing Taste explores how our perceptions of what food should look like have changed over the course of more than a century. By examining the development of color-controlling technology, government regulation, and consumer expectations, Hisano demonstrates that scientists, farmers, food processors, dye manufacturers, government officials, and intermediate suppliers have created a version of “natural” that is, in fact, highly engineered. Retailers and marketers have used scientific data about color to stimulate and influence consumers’—and especially female consumers’—sensory desires, triggering our appetites and cravings. Grasping this pivotal transformation in how we see, and how we consume, is critical to understanding the business of food.

Author: David Julian McClements
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3030129950
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 406

View

Book Description
We are in the midst of an unprecedented era of rapid scientific and technological advances that are transforming the way our foods are produced and consumed. Food architecture is being used to construct healthier, tastier, and more sustainable foods. Functional foods are being created to combat chronic diseases such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. These foods are fortified with nutraceuticals or probiotics to improve our mood, performance, and health. The behavior of foods inside our guts is being controlled to increase their healthiness. Precision nutrition is being used to tailor diets to our unique genetic profiles, microbiomes, and metabolisms. Gene editing, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence are being used to address modern food challenges such as feeding the growing global population, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing waste, and improving sustainability. However, the application of these technologies is facing a backlash from consumers concerned about the potential risks posed to human and environmental health. Some of the questions addressed in this book are: What is food architecture? How does sound and color impact taste? Will we all have 3D food printers in all our homes? Should nanotechnology and gene editing be used to enhance our foods? Are these new technologies safe? Would you eat bug-foods if it led to a more sustainable food supply? Should vegetarians eat themselves? Can nutraceuticals and probiotics stop cancer? What is the molecular basis of a tasty sustainable burger? David Julian McClements is a Distinguished Professor in food science who has used physics, chemistry, and biology to improve the quality, safety, and healthiness of foods for over 30 years. He has published over 900 scientific articles and 10 books in this area and is currently the most highly cited food scientist in the world. He has won numerous scientific awards for his work. The aim of this book is to highlight the many exciting advances being made in the science of foods, and to show their application for solving important problems related to the modern food supply, such as tackling chronic diseases, feeding a global population, reducing food waste, and creating healthier and tastier foods.

Author: Mandy Naglich
Publisher: Citadel
ISBN: 0806542292
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 290

View

Book Description
Perfect for foodie fans of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat as well as Cork Dork and The Flavor Equation, this instant classic is both a sumptuous behind-the-scenes tour and a fun, appetizing, and informative how-to that covers everything from wine and cheese to ice cream and honey, tea, chocolate, and even water, from the science of taste and the rituals of creating a fine-tuned palate, to plucking flavor descriptions from the tip of your tongue, and learning how appreciating food can help you appreciate life. You love to eat. But do you know how to taste? On a delectable sensory romp through the science of flavor, award-winning professional taster Mandy Naglich, one of less than 100 Advanced Cicerones in the world, gives you a seat at the table in the elite world of master tasters - scientists, professional tasters, sommeliers, umami ushers and more - divulging the secrets behind their perfected palates so you, too, can become a super taster. Whether it's a meaningful meal or a favorite nostalgic road trip snack, we know what we like to eat. But even when it comes to the most vivid and memorable dishes it's tough to say what exactly makes them so delicious. Now award-winning expert, certified food and beverage taster and lifestyle journalist Mandy Naglich reveals how to hone your tasting superpowers like a pro. Take a seat beside highly-trained cheese analysts, world-class sommeliers, competitive whiskey tasters, internationally recognized chefs, and sensory scientists as experts divulge the secrets to discerning the notes in a range of ingredients, from a dab of honey to a spoonful of olive oil--and even a sip of mineral water. Discover why a James Beard award-winner was visibly nervous before a blindfolded taste test on Top Chef Masters, and how coffee farmers base growing practices on the palate of one world-renowned authority. Learn why your taste buds respond to variables such as food temperature and background music. What the flavor distinction is between a pomme fruit and a stone fruit, how to judge the acidity of anything, from a cup of tea to a square of dark chocolate--and how understanding flavor can impact the way you understand the world. A rich journey for the flavor-obsessed, this instant classic is both a practical guide and a sumptuous meditation on how to savor all things delicious--on the plate and in life.

Author: Steffan Igor Ayora-Diaz
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350066680
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 240

View

Book Description
This book examines the history, archaeology, and anthropology of Mexican taste. Contributors analyze how the contemporary identity of Mexican food has been created and formed through concepts of taste, and how this national identity is adapted and moulded through change and migration.wing on case studies with a focus on Mexico, but also including Israel and the United States, the contributors examine how local and national identities, the global market of gastronomic tourism, and historic transformations in trade, production, the kitchen space and appliances shape the taste of Mexican food and drink. Chapters include an exploration of the popularity of Mexican beer in the United States by Jeffrey M. Pilcher, an examination of the experience of eating chapulines in Oaxaca by Paulette Schuster and Jeffrey H. Cohen, an investigation into transformations of contemporary Yucatecan gastronomy by Steffan Igor Ayora-Diaz, and an afterword from Richard Wilk. Together, the contributors demonstrate how taste itself is shaped through a history of social and cultural practices.

Author: Ryan D Aycock
Publisher: Evidence-Based Physician Solutions
ISBN:
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 159

View

Book Description
Whether you are just getting started with mixing Rum and Cokes or are a cocktail aficionado who can create the latest Mai Tai variation, you could benefit from this book. You are not reading another recipe guide. Simply Cocktails takes a different approach to learning about the spirits, syrups, liqueurs, bitters, aromatic wines, and sodas to go into making quality drinks. First, you will learn about alcohol's history extending all the way to ancient Egypt. Next, you'll gain insightful tips and techniques when making fresh juices and syrups. Then you'll try your hand at making your own vermouth. Finally, you'll produce sodas that rival most popular mass-market brands. This is no passive learning experience. After some background information, each chapter pushes you with new creative challenges. By the time you turn the last page, you'll have newfound knowledge and skills that will outpace seasoned bartenders.