“
So what’s happening in your brain when
you taste something? You’ve probably
noticed how a bad cold stops you from
enjoying your food, and kills your appetite.
Well, that’s because taste isn’t just a
matter of what’s on your tongue (which,
by the way, does not have different
sections for tasting different flavours); how
something smells is a huge factor, and so
is what’s called the ‘trigeminal system’ –
the nerves that cover your face, nose and
cheeks, and contribute to the ‘mouthfeel’
and texture of food and drink you’re
tasting. Those three systems combine
to give you the flavour of what’s in your
mouth.
That flavour impression is incredibly
subjective; you can pull out parts of it that
remind you of other flavours, and what
A regular of mine
once asked me
for a drink he’d
had elsewhere
that ‘tasted like
licking a 9V
battery’
you’re expecting makes a huge difference.
So if wine tasters are given cheap wine
in an expensive-looking dusty bottle, they
report it tasting better than the same wine
in the proper bottle. Same with plastic
glasses vs Riedel crystal. Even the famous
Pepsi challenge was an exercise in tricking
people’s taste buds; Pepsi is sweeter, so
the small portions people tried were more
enjoyable than Coke, but when you drink
a whole can, Coke’s subtler flavours are
preferred.
A regular of mine once asked me for a
drink he’d had elsewhere that ‘tasted like
licking a 9V battery’. Clearly, we’d both
licked a few too many batteries, as I
knew exactly what he meant, and made a
Sazerac (rye whiskey, sugar, absinthe and
peychaud bitters).
He’s right; the drink does give you the
same jolt in your jawbone that a few
volts will provide, and even has the same
metallic aftertaste. It’s incredibly rare that I
hear such a succinct description of a drinks
flavour, and it was an amazing moment for
both of us.
>>
+
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