Oral-Somatosensory Contributions to Flavor Perception and the Appreciation of Food and Drink

In this chapter, we highlight the crucial role played by the oral-somatosensory attributes of food and drink in determining our perception, and hence our enjoyment, of many of our most preferred foods and drinks, as well as our dislike of certain others. However, beyond the multisensory textural properties of the food itself, and beyond the temperature, etc., the cutlery and crockery we use and hold when eating can also impact the tasting experience. We summarize recent examples to illustrate some of the most innovative ways in which chefs, designers, and artists are now starting to exploit the latest findings from the field of gastrophysics research in order to change, and hopefully to enhance, the eating experience-everything from encouraging people to eat with the hands through to the recent introduction of furry cutlery.