How Does Smell Affect Taste?
This is a question that came up over the weekend and I remembered the classic Taste/Smell Experiment using an apple and a potato, so the first thing Monday morning...
we took a potato and an apple...
peeled them and cut them each into similar sized and shaped pieces.
We had them close their eyes so they couldn't tell which pile it came from and pinch their noses closed so they wouldn't smell anything. Our subjects, however, were really good at telling which was which. I think this experiment would work better if we had used a milder flavored apple, such as a Delicious apple and even a milder flavored potato, such as a yellow potato rather than the Russet we used.
The idea behind the experiment is that, since our sense of taste is actually a combination of the taste, smell and the texture of foods, when you take away the factors of smell and texture (since potatoes and apples are similar in texture) it makes it difficult for your mouth to know where to place the food to be eaten to get the most flavor from it. Your mouth, without any cues, will tend to keep the food in the center of your tongue where there are fewer taste buds than any other part of the tongue, in case it turns out to be an undesirable taste. In this case however, this tendency makes it hard to recognize foods that are only placed there.
36 Ritz Crackers, coarsely broken (about 1 and ¾ cups crumbs)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
grated peel of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out half of the pastry and place in 9-inch pie plate. Place crack crumbs in crumbs and set aside. Mix sugar and cream of tartar in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in 1 and ¾ cups water until well blended. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer 15 minutes. Add lemon peel and juice, and allow to cool. Pour syrup over cracker crumbs. Dot with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll out remaining pastry and place over pie. Trim, seal and flute edges. Slit top crust to allow steam to escape.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is crisp and golden. Cool completely.
The idea behind the experiment is that, since our sense of taste is actually a combination of the taste, smell and the texture of foods, when you take away the factors of smell and texture (since potatoes and apples are similar in texture) it makes it difficult for your mouth to know where to place the food to be eaten to get the most flavor from it. Your mouth, without any cues, will tend to keep the food in the center of your tongue where there are fewer taste buds than any other part of the tongue, in case it turns out to be an undesirable taste. In this case however, this tendency makes it hard to recognize foods that are only placed there.
Ritz Mock Apple Pie
Doing this experiment reminded me of the Ritz Mock Apple Pie.
In 1935, while America was coming out of the depression and apple supply was still low, Ritz Crackers introduced a recipe that called for crackers in place of apples and quickly it became a classic.
Pastry for 2-crust 9-inch pie36 Ritz Crackers, coarsely broken (about 1 and ¾ cups crumbs)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
grated peel of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out half of the pastry and place in 9-inch pie plate. Place crack crumbs in crumbs and set aside. Mix sugar and cream of tartar in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in 1 and ¾ cups water until well blended. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer 15 minutes. Add lemon peel and juice, and allow to cool. Pour syrup over cracker crumbs. Dot with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll out remaining pastry and place over pie. Trim, seal and flute edges. Slit top crust to allow steam to escape.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is crisp and golden. Cool completely.
