Bristol Uni Research 'What Makes Food Taste Good?'
A Bristol University scientist is trying to find out what makes meals taste nice by looking into the science of food.
Professor Pete Barham, from the University of Bristol, who has worked extensively with celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, argues in a scientific paper published by the American Chemical Society, that the hot topic of 'Molecular Gastronomy' should not be considered a style of cooking but a new scientific discipline.
Several highly regarded chefs have had their cooking style described as 'Molecular Gastronomy'; others claim to be bringing the use of scientific principles into the kitchen. But Professor Barham says the scientific community hasn't kept pace.
He said: "To me, a kitchen is just like a science laboratory and cooking is just another experimental science", says Barham.
"To understand what it is that makes one dish delicious and another not, we need to consider not only the choice of ingredients and how they were grown; the manner in which the
food was cooked and presented; but also the environment in which it was served and the mood of the diners.
Professor Barham says whether we like certain foods or not isn't just down to how they taste or the ingredients which are in them. He says our enjoyment of food is influenced by our mood when we eat and the environment we're in at the time.
He says finding out more about the science of food could help diners to make healthier choices and change their eating habits. He also thinks there is a social element to the research as well. He told us finding out how to enjoy food more could have a significant impact: "When I was a child families always ate together, spoke together, you got more social cohesion that way. Today, quite often, people don't regard eating as a social event. They eat because they have to live. They grab the food, eat it down quickly and then go off and do the next thing. So if eating were really pleasurable, people would spend more time doing it and that might improve ones family life as well."
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