We all love them. But why? Why do fatty foods taste so good?
We can’t chemically taste fat, as we taste sour, sweet, salty, bitter and umami (the taste of monosodium glutamate, also known as MSG). And the common meaning of taste goes beyond its chemical definition. That is, how something tastes to us depends partly on how it smells, and on the texture of the food. When answering the question of why fatty foods taste good, we have to look at each of these components.
Smell. Fats help you enjoy the taste of food because they’re able to dissolve and concentrate flavor and odor chemicals. These chemicals are released into the air by the heat of cooking. That’s why you can taste sizzling bacon even before you eat it – because some of the flavor molecules are already in your nose and mouth.
Texture. Fatty foods have a special mouth feel, a special texture. Chocolate, custard, and peanut butter all melt at body temperature. When chocolate melts in your mouth, it creates a smooth, full, coating sensation that most people agree is pleasant. Fats also help distribute salts and other seasonings throughout foods – such as salad dressings – so that they make more contact with your tongue and give a deeper flavor.
A recent study from the Journal of Lipid Research states that we possess a protein that is sensitive to fat. People that show higher concentrations of this protein on their tongue are more sensitive to fat and therefore are less likely to become obese. They would feel the pleasure and fullness caused by eating less fat than people who have less of this protein. People with small amounts of this protein tend to eat more fatty foods and enjoy them less, according to these study results.
earthsky.org
We can’t chemically taste fat, as we taste sour, sweet, salty, bitter and umami (the taste of monosodium glutamate, also known as MSG). And the common meaning of taste goes beyond its chemical definition. That is, how something tastes to us depends partly on how it smells, and on the texture of the food. When answering the question of why fatty foods taste good, we have to look at each of these components.
Smell. Fats help you enjoy the taste of food because they’re able to dissolve and concentrate flavor and odor chemicals. These chemicals are released into the air by the heat of cooking. That’s why you can taste sizzling bacon even before you eat it – because some of the flavor molecules are already in your nose and mouth.
Texture. Fatty foods have a special mouth feel, a special texture. Chocolate, custard, and peanut butter all melt at body temperature. When chocolate melts in your mouth, it creates a smooth, full, coating sensation that most people agree is pleasant. Fats also help distribute salts and other seasonings throughout foods – such as salad dressings – so that they make more contact with your tongue and give a deeper flavor.
A recent study from the Journal of Lipid Research states that we possess a protein that is sensitive to fat. People that show higher concentrations of this protein on their tongue are more sensitive to fat and therefore are less likely to become obese. They would feel the pleasure and fullness caused by eating less fat than people who have less of this protein. People with small amounts of this protein tend to eat more fatty foods and enjoy them less, according to these study results.
| EarthSky
Why do we like fatty foods so much? Fat gives foods some special qualities we like. Plus, the close tie between fat, flavor, fullness, and happiness might be an evolutionary adaptation.
earthsky.org
