The smell of food is as important as its taste. In fact, its smell actually influences how it tastes. If you doubt it, try this experiment.
Things Required:
A small peeled potato
A small peeled apple
2 spoons
A grater
Directions:
Grate part of a peeled potato and put it on a spoon. Grate an equal amount of a peeled apple and put it on the second spoon. Close your eyes and mix up the spoons so that you may not be sure which is which. Hold your nose and taste each of the foods.
This Is What Happens:
You will have trouble telling which is which!
Science Behind It:
The nose shares the airway (the pharynx) with the mouth. Therefore, we smell and taste food at the same time.
Only salty, sweet, bitter and sour are pure tastes. Other “tastes” are the combinations of taste and odour. Without the help of your nose, you may not be able to tell what you are eating.
