From picky eaters to thrill-seeking foodies, humans value food for more than mere sustenance and survival. In Taste Matters, John Prescott explores the motivations behind our food preferences, weaving together psychology, physiology, anthropology and the evolutionary history of the taste bud.
According to Prescott, the human emotional response to foods dictates what we eat, and this in turn is defined by cultural context and the complexity of individual flavor combinations. He invokes Pavlovian conditioning, nature versus nurture and Darwinian principles in his attempt to understand the fluidity of the human palate. Consider: the human tongue has up to 8,000 taste buds arranged in varying densities on the tongue; these physiological densities define how we handle the intensity of flavors, explain why some tolerate coffee or beer better than others and reveal how the smell of Roquefort cheese can induce disgust in the uninitiated. He also shows how contextual understanding and the smart pairing of flavor profiles (particularly sweet and salty) can overcome phobic reluctance to new foods.
Densely packed and scientific to its core, the first half of Prescott’s treatise can lapse into technical ramble as he ties together a cohesive explanation of how flavor, odor and taste interact. But when Prescott segues into the origins of molecular gastronomy, obesity and the hedonistic aspects of food, Taste Matters progresses past jargon and takes on a life of its own, teaching us how the separation of food for pleasure from food for survival can lead to a more healthy approach to eating and sensory fulfillment. --Nancy Powell, freelance writer