A researcher said people actually can see the flavor of foods, and the eyes have such a powerful role that they can trump the tongue and the nose.
April 11/Ithaca, N.Y./Science Daily -- The eyes sometimes have it, beating out the tongue, nose and brain in the emotional and biochemical balloting that determines the taste and allure of food, a scientist said. Speaking at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society, he described how people sometimes "see" flavors in foods and beverages before actually tasting them.
"There have been important new insights into how people perceive food flavors," said Terry E. Acree, Ph.D. "Years ago, taste was a table with two legs -- taste and odor. Now we are beginning to understand that flavor depends on parts of the brain that involve taste, odor, touch and vision. The sum total of these signals, plus our emotions and past experiences, result in perception of flavors, and determine whether we like or dislike specific foods."