If you want to enjoy your food, it is time to throw out those table manners and chew with your mouth open.
Oxford University expert Charles Spence, who has been working on the study, has revealed that “we’ve been doing it all wrong” when it comes to eating.
As a Professor of Experimental Psychology at the university, Spence said eating with your mouth open apparently helps our sense of hearing, too, with crunchy foods being rated more pleasurable when eaten open-mouthed.
He explained that compounds that give food flavour reach the back of the nose better when chewing open-mouthed.
In an interview with The Times, Spence said: “Parents instil manners in their children, extolling the virtues of politely chewing with our mouths closed. However, chewing open-mouthed may actually help to release more of the volatile organic compounds, contributing to our sense of smell and the overall perception.”
According to him, traditional English table manners were “designed for those who are embarrassed by food”.
Spence added that diners should ditch cutlery and eat with their hands to appreciate the taste more. He also advocates forgetting about knives and forks and using our hands when it comes to tucking into our favourite meals – a practice that is already common in many other cultures.
“Our sense of touch is also vital in our perception of food on the palate. Feeling the smooth, organic texture of the skin of an apple in our hand before biting into its whole is likely to contribute to a heightened appreciation of the juicy, sweet crunch of that first bite,” said Spence.
He added: “This can be extended to the feeling of grains of salt sticking to the fingers when eating French fries with our hands or the sugary residue of butter cream on a hand after picking up and biting into a slice of birthday cake.”
Read the latest IOL Food DigiMag here.