Taste on our Serving Platter

Al Noor Tent -Elite Resort & Spa

Do you believe that even before we put the food into our mouth, our brains had already perceived about it?

Studies show that our ability to taste food does not come solely from our tongue. How we experience food is a multi sensory experience that involves the taste, the feel and texture of it in our mouth, the aroma and how it is being presented to us, and furthermore, even the sound while eating diminishes the tongue’s ability to detect and discriminate between flavors.

A group of researcher has found out that dishes and other cutlery can incredibly alter our perception of taste. The latest work of these researchers has been published  in the journal of flavors.

"Some of my wine-drinking colleagues would have me believe that flavor is really out there on the bottle, in the glass or on the plate," says Charles Spence, a professor of experimental psychology at Oxford University. "But I think it is much more something that we ... understand better through looking at what's happening inside the brain, and not just the mouth of the person eating or drinking."  take a look at this experiment:

Alterations in taste perceptions aren't necessarily the result of the cutlery itself, he says, but of the mental associations we bring to a meal. "Silver spoons and other silver cutlery, I'm guessing, are more commonly associated with high-quality food in our prior eating experiences," Spence says.

Among Spence's findings so far: 

• People will rate the very same yogurt 15 percent tastier and more expensive when sampled with a silver spoon rather than a plastic spoon or a lighter (by weight) option. 
• Combining a heavier bowl with a heavier spoon will tend to make yogurt taste better. 
• Plastic packaging or plate ware that's more rounded will tend to emphasize sweetness. 
• Angular plates tend to bring out the bitterness in food, which works well for dishes like dark chocolate or coffee-based desserts, Spence says. 
• People will rate cheeses as tasting saltier when eaten off a knife, compared to a toothpick, spoon or fork. 
• In general, foods tend to be perceived as more enjoyable when eaten off heavier plates and with heavier cutlery – perhaps because heft is equated with expense. 


Let me add, as a child, I had once problem eating in metal trays and plates, as it gives me tingling sensation. even my spoon needs to have a non metal handle on it, otherwise, I might as well get hungry! However, being so much involved  in the different extra curricular activities at school (camping , scouting, etc) where I had no choice but to eat in those metal trays during meal time...I had overcome my uneasiness towards these kind of utensils.



Be it Psychological or not, whatever the reason may be, it is always good to have our meal just the way we like it to be. Our taste and food perception shall always be based on what we feel comfortable with for a long period of time, and I may say as the one who experienced some issues with regards to serving platters, those uneasiness and fears can gradually change. ITS ALL IN THE MIND!