1,2,3,4 ...5 Senses Working Overtime

The human body is a true marvel. It's numerous systems including the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and nervous, to name a few, work together to sustain our bodies 24-7. This marvelous creation is also equipped with five different senses, which cumulatively have influenced who we are today. These five senses help us to feel pain and pleasure, happiness and sadness, and energy or fatigue. Of course, the body also needs fuel and food is, fortunately, our option. The sense of touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste all play a role when it comes to the food we eat. Our senses work overtime allowing us to relish in our favorite meals. This week, I take a look at the specific role each sense plays in the world of food … along with some simple recipes.

The sense of touch most people believe isn't really important when it comes to food. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our nerve cells feel things like hard, soft, hot, cold and countless other sensations and textures. Chefs can tell the "doneness" of meat by touching it with their fingers. How about the temperature of the food on our tongue? Who doesn't love an ice-cold soda on a hot day as opposed to a warm one? The best example happens right on the tongue when we experience the texture of food. Shrimp is fairly neutral in flavor, however, the snap of a perfectly cooked plump shrimp in our mouths is divine. To make a simple Shrimp Scampi, start by sautéing shrimp in butter, white wine, and fresh garlic. Reduce and stir in cold butter slowly and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with fresh steamed broccoli raab instead of pasta.

Hearing, like touch, also plays an underrated role in the world of food. Hearing plays a large part in our communication, something a lot of us should do more of. Hearing helps us to avoid dangerous situations or allures us towards something desirable. In the kitchen the same is true. A trained chef can tell when some dishes are ready by the sound of the food cooking. The sizzle, snap, and pop are like food timers. As far as attracting our attention, if you have ever been to Chili's or Applebees when a plate of fajitas comes out … hmm, I'll have what they're having. I also love the sound and smell of sizzling bacon. Try a classic BLT with toasted bread, mayo, fresh lettuce, tomato, and the star … BACON!

We have all heard the expression we eat with our eyes. Our first impression of a meal in most cases starts with the food's appearance. Let's face it, If it looks like garbage we have already preconceived that it tastes like garbage. Vision allows us to navigate through a kitchen and read or watch recipes. The sense is so important when it comes to taste that studies have shown when blindfolded, people can have difficulty guessing the flavors of food. We are also pulled in when food towers high on the plate. Salads and pasta dishes are great examples. Pasta Carbonara is made by adding cooked pasta to a mixture of rendered pancetta, black pepper, scrambled eggs, and parmesan cheese. Use a serving fork, twisting the pasta as you plate it to create elevation.

The sense of smell plays a huge part in the flavor of food. It works directly with the sense of taste. Smell enhances all food flavor profiles. If you have ever had a bad cold with nasal congestion you know exactly what I am talking about. Food just doesn't taste the same when you're sick. The smell of food attracts us to the dish long before the taste experience. Like the sense of sight, the sense of smell can deter us from trying certain dishes or send us into food nirvana. My wife loves the smell of the house when I'm working with melted chocolate. She describes it as rich, floral, and sweet. Time to warm up your house. Line a pan with cupcake papers. Coat the bottoms with melted chocolate, add a spoonful of melted peanut butter, top with a banana slice and a dollop of chocolate. Elvis would have loved them.

The sense of taste is the final sensation. After having been tortured by all the other senses working overtime to craft a meal, we are rewarded by experiencing the flavors on our tongue. Sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami are the recognized taste cells on our tongues. Unlike the other senses, taste applies to food, but the impressions of foods throughout our lives are as everlasting in our brains as the other stimuli. Most of us have fond food memories associated with the taste of our favorite foods. Spicy is also recognized as a taste sensation. Roast tomatillos and jalapenos on an open flame. Peel them and add to a blender with fresh garlic cloves, avocado, and cilantro. This makes for a bright, fresh, and spicy salsa.

What makes our senses so unique is that everyone has acquired their own set of them. A sense is defined as a psychological capacity of organisms that provides for data perception. In a nutshell, what we have experienced translates into what we taste when it comes to food making each of us unique. The title of this blog was inspired by one of my favorite bands of the early '80s: XTC. The song was written by Andy Partridge. Andy was referring to the senses working together causing angst and frustration for an individual. A cure for this person could possibly be the ultimate comfort food … a big, beefy, aromatic helping of pot roast. Enjoy your next meal with all five senses.