The five senses of food

Our bodies have five senses that are our connection to the world around us. These senses use their own detection system to collect information, which is sent to the brain to process and create a complete sensory picture of our environment.

The five senses viz.; Sight, Sound, Taste, Smell and Touch. I believe we enjoy our food with all these senses.

Sight

Our eyes are the one of  the most important sensory receptors. If it looks yummy, you are a step closer to eating it. The 'looks yummy' happens with the help of the colour of the food, the plating, the presentation....

For me, a sprinkle of freshly chopped coriander always does the trick for my savoury meals. I call it my magic sprinkles.

Smell

The nose will help us identify the flavours and fragrances of the food. How fresh, how spicy, how sweet.....? The aroma of the food is always bound to pull you towards it.

My mother could just smell the food and tell if it needed an additional sprinkle of salt or a spice, without even tasting it....how cool is that!!

Sound

The crunch of a crackling papadum, the crackle of a tadka, the clinging of glasses- Don't these seem like irresistible invitations to the food in question.

The ears are yet another beautiful sensory pathway towards enjoying our food.

Touch

We touch our food before we eat it. The touch will tell you if the foods too hot, too cold, too soft, too hard, too chewy.

The tips of the fingers, the tongue....all of it becomes are part of the tactile sensation.

Taste

Lastly, as we eat the food, the burst of flavours of the food in our mouth, complete our experience.

The taste buds on the tongue react to salt, sour, bitter, sweet and umami tastes in our food to complete the experience.

For someone like me, who loves to cook, who loves to feed people, who loves to eat.... I am always thinking of ways to improve the experience...the five senses of food