Favorite Flavors

Let’s do a fun exercise! Number the flavors in order starting with #1 for your favorite. Just for fun, I’ve listed them here in order of my most favorite to least favorite. Let’s see how we compare! 🙂 ___ UMAMI ___ SPICY ___ SALTY ___ BITTER ___ EARTHY ___ HERBACEOUS ___ TANGY ___ SWEET ___…

Other Factors Affecting Flavor

None of the following items actually contribute to taste, but they do affect our perception of the food and whether or not it “tastes” good or not.   TEXTURE What words can we use to describe texture? How does texture affect your like or dislike of certain foods? Crisp Crunchy Smooth Buttery Creamy Greasy Gooey…

Taste Combinations

There are a few more flavors that may have already come to your mind.   SPICY The experience of “spicy” is caused by capsaicin, a chemical found in certain foods that excite neuroreceptors in the skin. For this reason, “spicy” isn’t actually a taste. It’s a neurological response to chemical stimuli, which causes burning and…

The Components of Flavor

Flavor is the combination of what you taste and what you smell. That said, flavor can also be affected by texture, temperature, and also, to put it quite frankly, the spirit—or in other words, your emotions (how you feel about it). So let’s talk about taste first. Your taste buds can sense 5 different unique…