1. Developing Taste
Chapter 53

2. Terminology Objectives Gustation Umami Piquant Olfaction
Retronasal pathway
Propelled
Tactile
Contrast eating and tasting.
Explain how the senses of sight, smell, taste, and touch contribute to how a person interprets food.
Recall subjective and physical factors that affect taste perception.
Summarize how chefs use and analyze taste combinations.
Implement a technique for tasting food critically.

3. Eating
Tasting
The general process of ingesting food
Doesn’t require thought
Thoughtful process of thoughtfully analyzing foods and beverages using your senses
Requires concentration
Most powerful tool for quality control

4. Hamburger Sweet and tangy quality of the ketchup
Salt and acidity of the mustard
The crunch of the lettuce
The intensity of raw onion
Complexity of the pickle relish
Meaty texture and flavor of the burger
Sponginess of the bun
All combined to make something that is considered a simple classic

5. Sense of Sight Food is first interpreted visually
When you see food, strong messages are sent to your brain including whether the food is edible or it you want to eat it
Attractive food set a level of expectation that the food with smell and taste delicious

6. Sense of Smell Olfaction
The information gathered by the bulb is transmitted to the brain via the olfactory nerve
Aromas reach the olfactory bulb one of two ways:
Through the nose
Aromas travel up the back of the nasal cavity from the back of the throat
Interprets airborne molecules that enter the nasal cavity and come in contact with the olfactory bulb

7. Olfaction
The sense of smell recognizes over 10,000 different smells at various levels of intensity
If aromas cannot reach the olfactory bulb- food tastes boring
Professionals inhale quickly and intensely
Propels as many molecules as possible to the olfactory bulb
The longer you smell something the duller in becomes

8. Sense of Taste Gustation
Mouth cavity perceives only 5 basic tastes- sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami
People are born with about 10,000 taste buds on the tongue
Taste buds are replaced on average every 10 days- that why when you burn your tongue taste is not permanently lost
Different taste receptors interpret particular tastes

9. Taste Buds Salty Sour Bitter Most common is table salt
Most common dairy products, fruits, and vinegar
Bitter
Chocolate, artichoke, vegetables, coffee, tea, and olives

10. Umami Results from a type of protein called glutamate
Chefs have known about it for centuries
Science only officially discovered it in the last 100 years
Critical in producing delicious food
A richness or meatiness
Evident in ripe vegetables, aged cheeses, aged and braised meats, long cooked stocks

11. Touch
Tactile
Your mouth perceives physical sensations and temperature changes just like your skin does
Perceives differences in texture
Crunchy, hard, soft, fatty, smooth, slimy, etc.
Allows to gauge tenderness of meat or correct stage of doneness in vegetables

12. Piquant Spicy hot sensation Is a physical sensation
Result of a chemical irritation of the lining of the mouth
Small amounts of piquant adds interest into a dish
Large amounts can make food difficult to eat- and can take time to acquire the taste
Chiles, peppercorns, onions, garlic, and mustard

13. Factors Affecting Taste
Subjective Factors
Physical Factors
Taste is shaped by our genetic make up, life experiences, and culture
Example: get food poisoning from a steak; while others mouth’s water when talking about a nice juice steak- you gag
Colds and illnesses
Head trauma, certain medicines and treatments
Age- as you get older the number of taste buds decrease
Some are born with heightened ability to taste

14. Taste Combinations
When chefs are creating a new dish they break down the dish into the most basic taste components
Once they isolate each element they evaluate the intensity of each ingredient to achieve a balance

15. Most Basic Combinations
Sweet and sour
Fat and sour
Sweet and bitter
Salt and sour
Sweet and salt

16. Tasting Like a Chef
Must be able to taste accurately and make quick decisions about food before customers eat something that tastes terrible
Taste the food
See, smell, and taste
Analyze the food
Are all the components balanced? Is it too salty? Bland?
Adjust the food
Based on the impressions on step 2
Taste the food again
Step 3 changed the food so the process starts over

17. Use reliable Internet sources (not wikis) to read further about physical factors that can impair the sense of smell and taste. Using Microsoft Word type up at least three paragraphs about your topic. Double spaced Times New Roman 14 point font. Choose one of the following topics and explore its impact on the sense of smell and taste: age, illness, medication, or specific medical treatment such as chemotherapy. How do these items impact smell and taste? What can a chef do to enhance the visual appeal, smell, and flavor of food to meet the varying needs of individuals?