THE ESSENTIAL
- The “relaxed chewing” would accentuate the different senses.
- Psychologist Charles Spence also recommends licking dishes after you finish them to promote sensory pleasure.
We repeat it over and over again to children: you have to close your mouth when you eat a meal or a snack. However, this habit could reduce the sensations brought by food. In any case, this is what Charles Spence suggests, Professor at the University of Oxford (United Kingdom), experimental psychologist and author of a study published in 2017 in l’International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science. According to the British researcher, eating with your mouth open would provide more pleasure.
Chewing with your mouth open would heighten the senses
“Parents instill good manners in their children, advocating the virtues of chewing with the mouth closed. But chewing with your mouth open can actually help release more volatile organic compounds, which helps our sense of smell and overall perception.”explained the psychologist to the newspaper the Telegraph. Volatile organic compounds such as ketones, terpenoids or esters represent the aromas and flavors present in foods.
“Relaxed chewing”, as Professor Charles Spence called it, would therefore allow a majority of volatile organic compounds to reach the back of the nose, and thus activate the olfactory sensory neurons.
Stop using cutlery during meals
In the eyes of the scientist, eating with your mouth open would sharpen the sense of smell, but also other senses. “When it comes to sound, we like noisy foods. Think crunchy, crispy. Chips and apples are considered more enjoyable when the sound of the cracking is amplified (…) To better hear the crunch of an apple, a crispy potato, a carrot stick, a cracker, crispy bread or a handful of popcorn, we must always forget our good manners and chew with our mouths open “he recommended.
In his interview, Professor Charles Spence also advised giving up cutlery and eating with your hands. According to him, the sense of touch is very important in the context of the perception of food on the palate. “Research shows that what one feels in the hand can alter or bring out certain aspects of the tasting experience (…) Feeling the smooth, organic texture of an apple’s skin in our hand before biting into it is likely to contribute to a better appreciation of the juicy and sweet crunch of this first bite”explained the psychologist.