The Flavour Equation

On making life more delicious

What’s food without flavour? Boring right? It’s my goal in life to make life delicious, so I’m devoting today to flavour. More importantly, The Flavour Equation.

No, I’m not going to get all technical, spew out some magical formula (math never really was my thing) or get too into the science of cooking but I do think there’s something really important about exploring the why behind cooking. Because when you can understand the why behind it there’s more freedom to be creative.

And because I’m definitely more on the creative side of the coin, I love that there’s cookbooks in the world now that explore the science of it. Even better when it’s an actual scientist who wrote it and can help it make sense on a fun level. The book I’m talking about is called yes, The Flavour Equation, and in one word, it’s brilliant. The author, Nik Sharma has come up with a simple combination of components that create flavour and it’s more than just taste if that’s what you’re thinking. We’re going to explore these 6 elements; taste, sight, sound, aroma, mouthfeel, and emotion. I’m going to break down each one for you and how I see them playing into making food taste delicious. Ready? Let’s go!

Taste - yes we’re born with magical tastebuds so we can experience all the flavour and you’ve probably heard these before; sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami. The conversation about balancing these is pretty commonplace and you likely have some that you lean towards more than others which is the first of many reasons that flavour is so personal. Nik has added two more; oleogustus (or richness) and heat which I totally agree with and think about more after reading the book. I think of these as the first flavour guides but you’ll see as we go how the other elements can influence them too.

Sight - you’ve probably heard you eat with your eyes first and there is science behind this. When we look at food our body actually starts to prepare for digestion….science I know but there’s also something to be said about the visual of it. It builds our perception of how we eat and when we look at something beautiful there’s emotion that comes with that (more on this below).

I’m a big believer in making things pretty before you eat because I think it makes things taste better, and every opportunity to make something just that little bit more special, I’m doing it because, life is short my friend. Whether that’s a simple garnish or taking the time to mindfully arrange something on your plate. Then there’s the ugly delicious food which I instantly think of food that’s monochromatic, all one colour and usually not something bright and cheery. Take mushroom soup for example, delicious to eat but grey and dull to look. Now when you swirl in a little cream for contrast or sprinkle with some thyme flowers, something clicks to make my brain think it’s going to taste even better.

Aroma - onions and garlic dropped in a pan glistening with olive oil, the citrusy goodness that comes from zesting a lemon, fresh baked bread - I could go on and on. Smell is actually something that we can recall even easier than taste and again, it has this magical ability to elicit emotions (yes, I’m getting to this one soon!). Toasting spices, cooking something in a certain way - all the smells that come with it always adds to the flavour.

Sound - this one maybe you’re thinking doesn’t make sense when it comes to flavour but think about the crunch of a really fresh carrot or celery, especially one fresh from the farmers market or your garden, you know that’s going to taste better than one that’s been in the back of your fridge for weeks and is looking a little sad and limp. For me, it’s the crackle that happens when my sourdough bread is cooling on the rack and the hollow sound it makes when I tap on it. I know it’s perfect and is going to taste amazing - if I can be patient enough to let it cool!

Mouthfeel - this is big one. Texture has such a role to play. The crunch of toasted nuts on a salad, creaminess of a perfectly cooked risotto, the chewiness of an oatmeal cookie, give me all the textures! And it makes things even more interesting when you play around with mixing different textures.

Emotion - the last one that you can see really kind of weaves into all the others. Whether you think this is woo-woo or science, it matters. As I said, we’re conscious beings with the gift of having emotions and they play into everything we do. Cooking is no different and it’s a big part in our experience with food. It can bring back memories of someone or an experience that makes us instantly feel something. There’s emotions that are there when we’re around the table with people we love or when we’re celebrating over good food. There’s this special way that cooking brings us comfort, joy, excitement and so many other emotions when we allow ourselves to be present to it.

When we pay attention to the sights, and sounds and smells going on. When we sit down and appreciate what we’ve made that’s now magically transformed in front of us. When we take the time to enjoy every bite. I like to say, ‘when you can be where your hands are’.

If you don’t have this book, add it to your collection as a beautiful resource asap! I can’t get enough of the charts and diagrams!

So there it is, my thoughts on The Flavour Equation. But before I go, one other thing that’s important to remember, it’s going to be unique to each of us. We all have different tastes, we all have different memories and experiences, we all have different views on what kinds of textures and flavour combinations we like and those we don’t. Personally, I love that! It means we all get to be creative and discern for ourselves what tastes good to us. And it never ends because in the world of cooking you always get to try new flavours, have new experiences and make new memories. Explore. Experiment. See how things feel. Notice the things you like. Notice the ones you don't. Find your own flavour equation!

What’s Cooking This Week: Bibimbap

This isn’t a recipe but instead a perfect example of what we talked about today. All the components of building flavour in one bowl. I love the mix of tastes, it’s got them all. The different textures - and that includes the sounds too; the crispy yet runny egg, crunchy vegetables, soft rice, the chew of the meat. The smells when you’re cooking each part and then when they all come together. How pretty it looks in the bowl with all the different colours and textures. Traditionally you’re supposed to mix everything together so you lose that ‘pretty’ bit when you start eating but there’s something about that that feels like play to me and I love it. And then there’s the excitement and satisfaction that comes from diving in….now I’m hungry again :)

Here’s a link to the recipe I’ve loosely based mine off of - it changes depending on what I’ve got at home. And I hope if you try it, you change it up depending on what YOU like; different veggies, tofu or chicken instead of beef, etc. The most important thing is the magic red sauce and the marinade.

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