Volantino

LET’S EAT WELL 13 A simple sensory experiment will help us better understand what has been said and make us aware of the importance of aroma when tasting a food. To start with, all you need is a tasty nibble (chocolate, sweet, cheese, etc.). 1 | Plug your nose with the fingers of one hand and with the other put your nibble in your mouth; 2 | Begin to taste your food being careful to keep your nose well plugged so that there is no possibility of inhaling or exhaling. With your nibble of food on your tongue, you will be able to identify only the sensations that the mouth is responsible for: so, if you have chosen a candy, sweetness, a hint of acid and the consistency (hard or gelatinous); 3 | Now unplug your nose, you will suddenly be able to clearly perceive the flavour of the nibble you have chosen! What happened? Without realising it, you have let the aromatic compounds reach the nasal cavity through the retronasal route, stimulating the olfactory receptors. The aroma has thus shown you its importance: with the nose plugged, that candy could have had any flavour, but only when you allowed the aroma to do its job, you actually understood its flavour. In other words, this small sensory game allows us to separate the tasting phases. PURPOSE OF THE GAME: