When we are seeking delicious food, we are seeking more than flavor. Besides our hands, the brain dedicates more nerve space to the face, especially the mouth and nose, than any other part of the body. Beyond the obvious seat of four out of five of our senses, the head is also the first part of our bodies to interact with the world at large. Whether we are looking for savory or sweet foods to stimulate our desires, we are actually seeking complex stimulation of a complicated evolutionary developed sensory system. It shouldn’t be a surprise that these senses are so deeply wired into our being. It is likely that our sensory abilities started with the very first organic cell consuming the first bit of food.
But we are seeking more than that now. We have become refined in our desires, and have become savvy in editing our world to create the experiences that bring us the most sensual joy. A chef friend of mine once said that the act of dining is the only act we make in which we engage all five senses: seeing the setting and then taking in the decorated plates in from of us, we are hearing our surroundings, the soft music, the buzz of voices; we are smelling the myriad smalls from our own table and others; feeling the soft tablecloth or cold metal ware in our hands, and of course tasting the food in front of us. Seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling… these are familiar to any of us. But what is tasting? Most people confuse the term “to taste,” which has come to mean examining the flavor of the food, the sum total of what makes something phenomenal or just so-so. But scientifically and sensually, taste is a very specific set of chemical sensors isolated to the mouth parts of our body. Flavor on the other hand, which is what many people refer to when the mention taste, is much more involved than that.
0 Comments
|
Zachary Hunter
Zachary Hunter is a lifelong devotee to flavor, a professionally trained chef who has been obsessed with mushrooms and uncovering the unknown with regards to edible mushroom chemistry and physiology. He is a member of the NAMA's (North American Mycological Association) Culinary Committee. He lives in Oaxaca, Mexico with his wife Kimberly Hunter--known collectively as the "Mushroom Hunters"--where they offer experiential immersions: artisan-maker intensives as Traveling Traders Bazaar and Mushroom adventures as The Fungivore. 2024 will be their sixth season curating adventures together in Mexico. Learn more at TheFungivore.com or TravelingTradersBazaar.com Archives
April 2024
Categories |