Sounds Delicious

There is no doubt sound is hugely influential when it comes to setting the scene and providing atmosphere, but can it actually make food taste better? According to a chef and a professor, that's exactly what it does...

Whilst collaborating with Oxford University Professor Charles Spence to discover how sound influences the eating experience, UK chef and 'culinary alchemist' Heston Blumenthal found that people who listened to seaside sounds while eating seafood said the flavour of their food was greatly enhanced.  

The sea sounds also changed their perception of how salty the seafood was - with participants saying they experienced more salt in the same food when the sea sounds were played to them.  According to Heston, this is due to the 'sense memories' each of us has attached to familiar seaside sounds.  

After these discoveries he devised his latest dish, 'Sounds of the Sea' - an exquisitely designed seafood arrangement served with a shell clad ipod that holds a seaside sound-scape for diners to listen to whilst eating to enhance the flavors!

We wonder if this technique will work with salty chips?  The Noise team will experiment and get back to you...