Volantino

LET’S EAT WELL 11 How do the fragrant molecules get to the receptors in our nasal cavity? THERE ARE TWO WAYS: 1 | orthonasal : we breathe in molecules that travel through the nose and directly to the receptors. This is exactly what happens when we smell a SCENT; 2 | retronasal : imagine you are eating a mouthful of your favourite food. The food arrives in your mouth, you chew it and warm it up allowing the formation of new fragrant molecules to release into the oral cavity. Lastly, by involuntarily breathing out as we eat these new compounds travel from the oral to the nasal cavity where the olfactory receptors are! What we perceive in this way is exactly what is defined as AROMA ! Have you ever eaten something and felt a “familiar” feeling? Or suddenly or gradually remember an event from your past? This is exactly what the famous French writer Marcel Proust wrote in an anecdote taken from his novel “In search of lost time”. One winter evening while eating a madeleine dipped in tea, he was overwhelmed by vague memories, that became increasingly sharper, taking him back to joyful Sunday mornings when he would have breakfast with his aunt. This happens mostly with foods that have extremely distinguishing and particular flavours and aromas , such that they awaken dormant memories that are dear to us. IF YOU ARE CURIOUS ORTHONASAL RETRONASAL