Interesting article in BBC.
Cutlery ‘can influence food taste’ By Helen Briggs, BBC News
Our perception of how food tastes is influenced by cutlery, research suggests.
Size, weight, shape and color all have an effect on flavor, says a University of Oxford team.
The study in the journal Flavour suggests the brain makes judgments on food even before it goes in the mouth.
1. Cheese tastes saltier when eaten from a knife rather than a fork;
2. While white spoons make yogurt taste better, experiments show.
3. Food tasted sweeter on the small spoons that are traditionally used to serve desserts.
4. Color contrast was also an important factor – white yogurt eaten from a white spoon was rated sweeter than white yogurt tasted on a black spoon.
5. Cheese on a knife, tasted saltier than cheese on spoon, fork or toothpick.
6. people generally eat less when food is served on smaller plates.
The new research into how the brain influences food perceptions could help dieters or improve gastronomic experiences at restaurants, said Prof Spence.
