Science Spark : it tastes as good as it looks!

Debra Zellner, from the Department of Psychology of the  Montclair State University, recently teamed up with researchers from the Culinary Institute of Americato investigate the effect of plate presentation on liking.

To do so, they collaborate with a restaurant to serve a sautéed chicken breast with a fines herbes sauce, brown rice pilaf, and sautéed green beans with toasted almonds served on a round white  plate. They served it two consecutive days, changing the presentation. They first ask patrons to rate the attractiveness of the plate, then the flavor of the dish.

And the one presentation which was rate as more attractive also resulted in an higher flavor appreciation!

Another proof that our sense of taste and smell can be easily tricked...

Debra A. Zellner, Christopher R. Loss, Jonathan Zearfoss, Sergio Remolina, It tastes as good as it looks! The effect of food presentation on liking for the flavor of food, Appetite, Volume 77, 1 June 2014, Pages 31-35, ISSN 0195-6663, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2014.02.009