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Mouths are already watering across America at the mere thought of their Thanksgiving dinner plate.Two thick slices of perfectly roasted turkey breast. A serving of creamy mashed potatoes with a large spoonful of gravy. One helping of stuffing sitting next to one and a half helpings of green bean casserole. A warm yam nestled between a buttered roll and deep red cranberry sauce. Hopefully there's a dessert plate for pumpkin pie!
So, why does Thanksgiving taste so good? We answer this question with help from Scientific American which says, “deliciousness is both ingrained and learned.”
As you shovel a forkful of your Thanksgiving feast into your mouth, two physical things start to happen. The first is that your papillae, better known as taste buds, detect and respond to the five basic tastes: bitter, sweet, sour, salt and savory. Our papillae send a message to the brain depending on if the food is sweet or savory to tell if the food is nutritious. On the other hand, if the food is bitter, your papillae might tell your brain to spit the food out because it could be poisonous.
The second thing that happens is called retronasal olfaction. This is when air passes through the back of your mouth to scent receptors in the nasal cavity, which can detect more complex flavors. According to Scientific American, this process “produces a completely unique sense–neither smell nor taste alone but a hybrid that we call flavor.”
But flavor can mean many different things to many different people. The truth is that the flavors we enjoy are developed throughout our lives. Your sense of good food started when you were in the womb. Scientific American reports that “pregnant women who drink carrot juice are more likely to have kids who like carrots…If Mom ate it, it’s safe.”
As you grew up, you watched what your family members and friends ate, and you tried those foods, too. While you might not have enjoyed the food at first, if it was something that appeared on the table again and again. You probably learned to appreciate it. Children have to try unfamiliar food about nine times, on average, before they begin to like the taste, according to Scientific American.
But your taste can still change today depending on your environment and your other senses.
“Potato chips taste crisper if you hear a crunch over headphones,” Scientific American says. “People will eat less food off of a red plate. A block of cheese with sharp edges tastes sharper than one with round corners.”
This means that we don’t just enjoy Thanksgiving dinner because deep-fried turkey hits our taste buds just right. We enjoy the meal because it’s tradition. Each November, we take a break from work and school to relax. We gather around with family and friends, and we eat the same or similar foods to those we enjoyed when we were younger. Together these things make Thanksgiving taste so good.
Enjoy!
Looking for more Never Stop Asking "Why?" questions? Catch up on all of the past "Whys" on the blog!
