flavor

 taste + smell = flavor

Taste is often confused with flavor, but it is only a part of the
equation. In fact, it is only a small part. Taste is what we can
identify with the nerve cells
in our tongues and mouths and is limited to sweet, sour, salty, bitter,
umami, and (arguably) fat. Add to that the sensations of temperature
and texture and you will still only have up to 30% of what we can
perceive as flavor.

The rest of the equation lies in our olfactory receptors, which are
located at the top of our nasal cavity, just below the brain. When odor
molecules pass through this area, they find their correlating receptor.
Once this union is complete, information is sent to the olfactory bulb that is located in the central nervous system.

Of all the senses, smell is the most primal. Animals rely on it to survive; it is how they mate and find food. In humans, it is the most evocative of the senses, acting as a memory-trigger (one whiff of Chanel no.5 and I am 8 years old again, transported to a classroom where my teacher liberally doused herself with the perfume). Through memory and association, smell communicates pleasure (freshly baked bread, clean laundry, roses and lilacs, coffee in the morning) and signals danger (spoiled food, burning, natural gas–which has no scent, but is added by the utility companies to alert us).

Our sense of smell is unique and complex. Scent is detected through volatile odor molecules (also known as odorants and aroma compounds). These need to be volatile, or
have the ability to evaporate, in order to be transported into the
nasal cavity and be sorted by the receptors. This is why non-volatile
substances like metal or glass have no scent. Professor Linda Buck, who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine along with Professor Richard Axel for their work in uncovering the secrets of the sense of smell, stated that "The discriminatory power of the olfactory system is immense. Even closely related molecules have different smells." and believes that humans can differentiate between up to 10,000 different odors.

Aroma compounds significantly contribute to how we detect and identify flavor. They are present in all foods in varying combinations and concentrations. These compounds are chemical in nature and are classified by functional groups. For instance, the principle aroma compound in cinnamon is an Aldehyde identified as Cinnamaldehyde. The aroma of coffee is very complex and is made up of over 800 of these compounds, as illustrated in the flavor wheel. To view a comprehensive list of classified aroma compounds click here or go to the link on the right sidebar.

Even before food enters our mouth, we begin to perceive flavor. It starts with our eyes, which transmit visual cues to our brain. The statement "we eat with our eyes" emphasizes the importance of eye-appeal and presentation. We are programmed to believe that if food looks good, then it must taste good. Of course, if it doesn't, we are confused and let down. But when it does, our instincts are confirmed and the pleasure is amplified. Next, our sense of smell is engaged as aromas wafting from the food enter our nasal passages and are sorted and identified by olfactory receptors, sending a preview to the brain. Our sense of touch is stimulated as food enters our mouth and we experience temperature and texture. If the food is crisp, then our sense of hearing comes into play. The act of chewing and breaking down food
activates our sense of taste and releases more compounds, which are communicated
to our brains and completes the multi-sensory experience known as flavor.