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Tastes from our past can spark memories, trigger pain or boost wellbeing. Here’s how to embrace food nostalgia

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/megan-lee-490875">Megan Lee</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/doug-angus-1542552">Doug Angus</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kate-simpson-1542551">Kate Simpson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a></em></p> <p>Have you ever tried to bring back fond memories by eating or drinking something unique to that time and place?</p> <p>It could be a Pina Colada that recalls an island holiday? Or a steaming bowl of pho just like the one you had in Vietnam? Perhaps eating a favourite dish reminds you of a lost loved one – like the sticky date pudding Nanna used to make?</p> <p>If you have, you have tapped into <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699931.2022.2142525">food-evoked nostalgia</a>.</p> <p>As researchers, we are exploring how eating and drinking certain things from your past may be important for your mood and mental health.</p> <h2>Bittersweet longing</h2> <p>First named in 1688 by Swiss medical student, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/44437799">Johannes Hoffer</a>, <a href="https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spc3.12070">nostalgia</a> is that bittersweet, sentimental longing for the past. It is experienced <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2008.00595.x">universally</a> across different cultures and lifespans from childhood into older age.</p> <p>But nostalgia does not just involve positive or happy memories – we can also experience nostalgia for <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.91.5.975">sad and unhappy moments</a> in our lives.</p> <p>In the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Femo0000817">short and long term</a>, nostalgia can positively impact our health by improving <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0025167">mood</a> and <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Femo0000817">wellbeing</a>, fostering <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0017597">social connection</a> and increasing quality of life. It can also trigger feelings of <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Femo0000817">loneliness or meaninglessness</a>.</p> <p>We can use nostalgia to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0025167">turn around a negative mood</a> or enhance our sense of <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Femo0000817">self, meaning and positivity</a>.</p> <p>Research suggests nostalgia alters activity in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/17/12/1131/6585517">brain regions associated with reward processing</a> – the same areas involved when we seek and receive things we like. This could explain the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X22002445?via%3Dihub">positive feelings</a> it can bring.</p> <p>Nostalgia can also increase feelings of loneliness and sadness, particularly if the memories highlight dissatisfaction, grieving, loss, or wistful feelings for the past. This is likely due to activation of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X22002445?casa_token=V31ORDWcsx4AAAAA:Vef9hiwUz9506f5PYGsXH-JxCcnsptQnVPNaAGares2xTU5JbKSHakwGpLxSRO2dNckrdFGubA">brain areas</a> such as the amygdala, responsible for processing emotions and the prefrontal cortex that helps us integrate feelings and memories and regulate emotion.</p> <h2>How to get back there</h2> <p>There are several ways we can <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2006-20034-013.html">trigger</a> or tap into nostalgia.</p> <p>Conversations with family and friends who have shared experiences, unique objects like photos, and smells can <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X23000076">transport us back</a> to old times or places. So can a favourite song or old TV show, reunions with former classmates, even social media <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2015/3/24/8284703/facebook-on-this-day-nostalgia-recap">posts and anniversaries</a>.</p> <p>What we eat and drink can trigger <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/QMR-06-2012-0027/full/html">food-evoked nostalgia</a>. For instance, when we think of something as “<a href="https://theconversation.com/health-check-why-do-we-crave-comfort-food-in-winter-118776">comfort food</a>”, there are likely elements of nostalgia at play.</p> <p>Foods you found comforting as a child can evoke memories of being cared for and nurtured by loved ones. The form of these foods and the stories we tell about them may have been handed down through generations.</p> <p>Food-evoked nostalgia can be very powerful because it engages multiple senses: taste, smell, texture, sight and sound. The sense of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09658211.2013.876048?casa_token=wqShWbRXJaYAAAAA%3AqJabgHtEbPtEQp7qHnl7wOb527bpGxzIJ_JwQX8eAyq1IrM_HQFIng8ELAMyuoFoeZyiX1zeJTPf">smell</a> is closely linked to the limbic system in the brain responsible for emotion and memory making food-related memories particularly vivid and emotionally charged.</p> <p>But, food-evoked nostalgia can also give rise to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hpja.873">negative memories</a>, such as of being forced to eat a certain vegetable you disliked as a child, or a food eaten during a sad moment like a loved ones funeral. Understanding why these foods <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699931.2022.2142525?casa_token=16kAPHUQTukAAAAA%3A9IDvre8yUT8UsuiR_ltsG-3qgE2sdkIFgcrdH3T5EYbVEP9JZwPcsbmsPLT6Kch5EFFs9RPsMTNn">evoke negative memories</a> could help us process and overcome some of our adult food aversions. Encountering these foods in a positive light may help us reframe the memory associated with them.</p> <h2>What people told us about food and nostalgia</h2> <p>Recently <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hpja.873">we interviewed eight Australians</a> and asked them about their experiences with food-evoked nostalgia and the influence on their mood. We wanted to find out whether they experienced food-evoked nostalgia and if so, what foods triggered pleasant and unpleasant memories and feelings for them.</p> <p>They reported they could use foods that were linked to times in their past to manipulate and influence their mood. Common foods they described as particularly nostalgia triggering were homemade meals, foods from school camp, cultural and ethnic foods, childhood favourites, comfort foods, special treats and snacks they were allowed as children, and holiday or celebration foods. One participant commented:</p> <blockquote> <p>I guess part of this nostalgia is maybe […] The healing qualities that food has in mental wellbeing. I think food heals for us.</p> </blockquote> <p>Another explained</p> <blockquote> <p>I feel really happy, and I guess fortunate to have these kinds of foods that I can turn to, and they have these memories, and I love the feeling of nostalgia and reminiscing and things that remind me of good times.</p> </blockquote> <p>Understanding food-evoked nostalgia is valuable because it provides us with an insight into how our sensory experiences and emotions intertwine with our memories and identity. While we know a lot about how food triggers nostalgic memories, there is still much to learn about the specific brain areas involved and the differences in food-evoked nostalgia in different cultures.</p> <p>In the future we may be able to use the science behind food-evoked nostalgia to help people experiencing dementia to tap into lost memories or in psychological therapy to help people reframe negative experiences.</p> <p>So, if you are ever feeling a little down and want to improve your mood, consider turning to one of your favourite comfort foods that remind you of home, your loved ones or a holiday long ago. Transporting yourself back to those times could help turn things around.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/232826/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/megan-lee-490875">Megan Lee</a>, Senior Teaching Fellow, Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/doug-angus-1542552">Doug Angus</a>, Assistant Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kate-simpson-1542551">Kate Simpson</a>, Sessional academic, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/tastes-from-our-past-can-spark-memories-trigger-pain-or-boost-wellbeing-heres-how-to-embrace-food-nostalgia-232826">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Mind

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Experience the magic of Ireland down under: A Taste of Ireland 2024 Australian Tour

<p>Get ready to immerse yourself in the rich culture, captivating music and mesmerising dance of Ireland as <a href="https://www.atasteofirelandshow.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>A Taste of Ireland</em></a> returns to enchant audiences across Australia in 2024. </p> <p>Featuring World Champion dancers from <em>Lord of the Dance</em> and <em>Riverdance</em>, prepare to be transported to the rolling green hills and vibrant streets of the Emerald Isle, right in your hometown!  </p> <p><strong>What is <em>A Taste of Ireland</em>?</strong></p> <p><em>A Taste of Ireland</em> is not just a performance; it's an unforgettable journey through the heart and soul of Ireland. Combining traditional and contemporary Irish music and dance, this spectacular show showcases the incredible talent and passion of some of Ireland's finest performers.</p> <p><strong>What to expect</strong></p> <p>From the moment the first note is struck, and the first step is danced, you'll be captivated by the energy and artistry on stage. Feel the rhythm of the bodhrán drum reverberate through your bones, and let the fiddles whisk you away to a land of ancient myths and legends.</p> <p>Prepare to be dazzled by the lightning-fast footwork and intricate choreography of the dancers as they weave tales of love, loss and triumph through their movements. Each step tells a story, each leap a celebration of life itself.</p> <p><strong>Why attend?</strong></p> <p>Whether you're a die-hard fan of Irish culture or simply looking for a night of entertainment unlike any other, <em>A Taste of Ireland</em> offers something for everyone. It's an opportunity to witness the magic of Ireland's rich heritage brought to life before your very eyes.</p> <p>Forget your troubles for an evening and let the music and dance sweep you away on a journey you won't soon forget. Whether you're tapping your feet to the lively jigs and reels or wiping away tears during a poignant ballad, <em>A Taste of Ireland</em> is an experience that will touch your heart and soul.</p> <p><strong>Tour dates and locations</strong></p> <p>The 2024 Australian Tour of <em>A Taste of Ireland</em> will be making stops across Australia for 80 shows from March to July, bringing the magic of Ireland to a venue near you. <a href="https://www.atasteofirelandshow.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check the tour schedule</a> to find out when this unforgettable experience will be coming to your area.</p> <p><strong>Get your tickets now!</strong></p> <p>Don't miss your chance to experience the beauty and excitement of <em>A Taste of Ireland</em>. Tickets are selling fast, so book yours today and get ready for a night of music, dance, and memories that will last a lifetime. </p> <p>Witness the show that has received rave reviews across the globe. Don't rely on the luck of the Irish – <a href="https://www.atasteofirelandshow.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">book now</a>, because tickets are selling out fast!</p> <p><em>Images: Supplied.</em></p> <p><em>This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with Pace Live.</em></p>

Music

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Taste depends on nature and nurture. Here are 7 ways you can learn to enjoy foods you don’t like

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicholas-archer-181464">Nicholas Archer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/csiro-1035">CSIRO</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/astrid-poelman-1481227">Astrid Poelman</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/csiro-1035">CSIRO</a></em></p> <p>You’re out for dinner with a bunch of friends, one of whom orders pizza with anchovies and olives to share, but you hate olives and anchovies! Do you pipe up with your preferred choice – Hawaiian – or stay quiet?</p> <p>This scene plays out every day around the world. Some people ferociously defend their personal tastes. But many would rather expand their palate, and not have to rock the boat the next time someone in their friend group orders pizza.</p> <p>Is it possible to train your tastebuds to enjoy foods you previously didn’t, like training a muscle at the gym?</p> <h2>What determines ‘taste’?</h2> <p>Taste is a complex system we evolved to help us navigate the environment. It helps us select foods with nutritional value and reject anything potentially harmful.</p> <p>Foods are made up of different compounds, including nutrients (such as proteins, sugars and fats) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P_0HGRWgXw">aromas</a> that are detected by sensors in the mouth and nose. These sensors create the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZn2PMUWO-Y">flavour of food</a>. While taste is what the tastebuds on your tongue pick up, flavour is the combination of how something smells and tastes. Together with texture, appearance and sound, these senses collectively influence your food preferences.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MZn2PMUWO-Y?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Flavour is the overall impression you get when eating.</span></figcaption></figure> <p>Many factors influence food preferences, including age, genetics and environment. We each live in our own sensory world and no two people will have the same <a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-some-people-find-some-foods-yummy-but-others-find-the-same-foods-yucky-77671">experience while eating</a>.</p> <p>Food preferences also change with age. Research has found young children have a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24452237/">natural preference</a> for sweet and salty tastes and a dislike of bitter tastes. As they grow older their ability to like bitter foods grows.</p> <p>Emerging evidence shows bacteria in saliva can also produce enzymes that influence the taste of foods. For instance, saliva has been shown to cause the release of sulphur aromas in cauliflower. The <a href="https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2021/acs-presspac-september-22-2021/childrens-dislike-of-cauliflower-broccoli-could-be-written-in-their-microbiome.html">more sulphur that is produced</a>, the less likely a kid is to enjoy the taste of cauliflower.</p> <h2>Nature versus nurture</h2> <p>Both genetics and the environment play a crucial role in determining food preferences. Twin studies estimate genetics have a moderate influence on food preferences (between 32% and 54%, depending on the food type) in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000291652305027X?via%3Dihub">children</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27385609/">adolescents</a> and <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/twin-research-and-human-genetics/article/dietary-patterns-and-heritability-of-food-choice-in-a-uk-female-twin-cohort/8507AAF01330C599BAC62BCC0EF4CF06">adults</a>.</p> <p>However, since our cultural environment and the foods we’re exposed to also shape our preferences, these <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24452237/">preferences are learned</a> to a large degree.</p> <p>A lot of this learning takes place during childhood, at home and other places we eat. This isn’t textbook learning. <a href="https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/9780851990323.0093">It’s learning</a> by experiencing (eating), which typically leads to increased liking of the food – or by watching what others do (modelling), which can lead to both positive or negative associations.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000291652305027X?via%3Dihub">Research</a> has shown how environmental influences on food preferences change between childhood and adulthood. For children, the main factor is the home environment, which makes sense as kids are more likely to be influenced by foods prepared and eaten at home. Environmental factors influencing adults and adolescents are more varied.</p> <h2>The process of ‘acquiring’ taste</h2> <p>Coffee and beer are good examples of bitter foods people “acquire” a taste for as they grow up. The ability to overcome the dislike of these is largely due to:</p> <ul> <li> <p>the social context in which they’re consumed. For example, in many countries they may be associated with passage into adulthood.</p> </li> <li> <p>the physiological effects of the compounds they contain – caffeine in coffee and alcohol in beer. Many people find these effects desirable.</p> </li> </ul> <p>But what about acquiring a taste for foods that don’t provide such desirable feelings, but which are good for you, such as kale or fatty fish? Is it possible to gain an acceptance for these?</p> <p>Here are some strategies that can help you learn to enjoy foods you currently don’t:</p> <ol> <li> <p>eat, and keep eating. Only a small portion is needed to build a liking for a specific taste over time. It may take 10–15 attempts or more before you can say you “like” the food.</p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329302001106">mask bitterness</a> by eating it with other foods or ingredients that contain salt or sugar. For instance, you can pair bitter rocket with a sweet salad dressing.</p> </li> <li> <p>eat it repeatedly in a positive context. That could mean eating it after playing your favourite sport or with people you like. Alternatively, you could eat it with foods you already enjoy; if it’s a specific vegetable, try pairing it with your favourite protein.</p> </li> <li> <p>eat it when you’re hungry. In a hungry state you’ll be more willing to accept a taste you might not appreciate on a full stomach.</p> </li> <li> <p>remind yourself why you want to enjoy this food. You may be changing your diet for health reasons, or because you’ve moved countries and are struggling with the local cuisine. Your reason will help motivate you.</p> </li> <li> <p>start young (if possible). It’s easier for children to learn to like new foods as their tastes are less established.</p> </li> <li> <p>remember: the more foods you like, the easier it’ll become to learn to like others.</p> </li> </ol> <p>A balanced and varied diet is essential for good health. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666315003438?ref=pdf_download&amp;fr=RR-2&amp;rr=82a5fd5069821f63">Picky eating</a> can become a problem if it leads to vitamin and mineral deficiencies – especially if you’re avoiding entire food groups, such as vegetables. At the same time, eating too many tasty but energy-dense foods can increase your risk of chronic disease, including obesity.</p> <p>Understanding how your food preferences have formed, and how they can evolve, is a first step to getting on the path of healthier eating.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215999/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicholas-archer-181464"><em>Nicholas Archer</em></a><em>, Research Scientist, Sensory, Flavour and Consumer Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/csiro-1035">CSIRO</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/astrid-poelman-1481227">Astrid Poelman</a>, Principal Researcher, Public Health &amp; Wellbeing Group, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/csiro-1035">CSIRO</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/taste-depends-on-nature-and-nurture-here-are-7-ways-you-can-learn-to-enjoy-foods-you-dont-like-215999">original article</a>.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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“Sounds like some terrible rash”: Iconic Aussie food Jamie Oliver has never tasted

<p>Jamie Oliver has been visiting Australia on and off for the past 20 years - but he has never tried  Tim Tams. </p> <p>The celebrity chef revealed that he never tried the classic Aussie treat during an interview with <em>The Today Show </em>on Friday.<em> </em></p> <p>Jamie touched down in Sydney recently ahead of his 10-year anniversary with Royal Caribbean cruises, and was onboard the Ovation of the Seas when he was asked to  pick his favourite between Vegemite toast or Tim Tams. </p> <p>“What’s that in English? What did you just say?" the celebrity chef asked. </p> <p>“Ah, Vegemite toast. What’s a Tim Tam? What is it, it sounds like some terrible rash,” he joked.</p> <p>The presenter told him that it was a chocolate biscuit and got him to try one after finding a tray on the ship. </p> <p>“This is the moment of truth – this thing I have never had before,” Jamie said before he took a bite out of the popular snack. </p> <p>“Very, very nice … I will never forget this moment.”</p> <p>The 48-year-old chef first came to Australia when he was just 24 years old. Ever since, he's been travelling in an out of the country after falling in love with it. </p> <p>“I normally came, in the old world, every year, but obviously Covid threw a little curve ball in there,” he told <em>news.com.au.</em> </p> <p>“I just love it here. It always feels like weirdly, my true home. I feel like my style of cooking, my personality, my ridiculous jokes seem to go down better here than back home.”</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Food & Wine

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“It tastes like rich”: Hotel sells $32 coffee with gold sprinkles

<p dir="ltr">At the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, you can treat yourself to a cappuccino for a whopping $32AUD, although you’re not <em>really</em> paying for the coffee alone. </p> <p dir="ltr">The cappuccino, which is found at the hotel’s Le Cafe by the Fountain comes with 23-karat gold sprinkled on top and it has been named the Emirates Palace Golden Cappuccino. </p> <p dir="ltr">The pricey cap is not the only item on the menu that is embellished with gold, with the hotel advertising a camel milk vanilla or chocolate ice cream with a 23-karat gold leaf for $29.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the mood for a cold drink? The Emirates Palace has got you covered with their Hawaiian Candy Colada, a mocktail topped with 23-karat gold flakes for $26. </p> <p dir="ltr">Tourists have shared videos on social media, with one showing a barista shaking a can of gold flakes over a row of cappuccinos, much like one would with the average cocoa powder topping. </p> <p dir="ltr">Another video posted by a worker shows her adding gold flakes with a spoon.</p> <p dir="ltr">One TikToker who got to try the luxurious coffee wrote, “The gold cappuccino was 8/10 but the vibes were 100/10.” </p> <p dir="ltr">One user wrote, “It tastes like rich.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Another agreed, writing “It tastes expensive.” </p> <p dir="ltr">A Canadian coffee content creator, Brodie Vissers, better known as The Nomad Barista online reviewed the hotel’s cappuccino on YouTube. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Our drinks have arrived, I’m a little bit nervous. It used to be 24-karat, now they’ve reduced it to 23-karat but it is still gold sprinkled on this coffee,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t even know what to expect from this drink,” he said before trying the luxurious drink. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s actually not bad. Of course the foam on the latte is not like a perfect flat white or anything. It’s actually not as sweet as I expected. It’s got a nice balance to it. It’s an interesting drink.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We cannot forget about the dates. Having dates with coffee is a very traditional thing here in the Middle East.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Let’s see how that pairs with the latte. Wow, that is so good. I recommend it if you’re around. It’s a kind of unique opportunity here in (Emirates) Palace. What better place to drink coffee with gold on top.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Instagram </em></p>

Food & Wine

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Appearance, aroma and mouthfeel: all you need to know to give wine tasting a go

<p style="text-align: justify;">So you like drinking wine, but don’t actually know much about it? You want to feel more confident when talking about wine? You would like to know how to choose a “good” wine? You are not alone – but I am here to help.</p> <p>Many of us enjoy drinking wine but do not really understand or appreciate the complexity of this amazing beverage. And many feel nervous about discussing wines, thinking they may say the wrong thing.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Fear not – there is no right or wrong when appreciating wine, however the more you know and understand, the more you will really treasure and enjoy the experience of wine tasting.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Here are my top tips for giving wine tasting a go.</p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;">Appearance, aroma and mouthfeel</h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">When appreciating wine, all of the senses are employed.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Formal wine judges and critics will appraise the appearance, aroma and taste (or “mouthfeel”) of a wine, and anyone who has heard the pop of a cork from a bottle of sparkling has appreciated the sound.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">A wine should be clear: free of any haziness or solids (“natural” wines may have some haziness due to yeast residue).</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">The colour of a wine is also important. A young white wine should be a very pale yellow or “straw” colour, and a young red may have purple notes. Brown tinges of a young wine indicate that the wine may be spoilt – possibly premature ageing due to poor storage.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">There are hundreds of aroma compounds which all contribute to the smell of a wine. The term “aroma” refers to the smells originating from the grape, and “bouquet” from the smells resulting from the wine making process.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">A good wine should not be simple – it should have an interesting array of aromas. A wine should not have any undesirable or off odours, as this can also indicate spoilage. The smell of a wine should make you want to have a taste of it!</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">While you are tasting, you can observe how wines range in style from dry (lacking any sugar) to very sweet, still to sparking, and may have varying concentrations of alcohol (ethanol). Pay attention to how acidic the wine is, and notice if the wine has an astringency or bitterness – these are the tannins found particularly in red wines.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Notice the different flavours derived from both the grape and the winemaking process.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">All of these components contribute to the mouthfeel of a wine and should be in “balance”: no one component should over-dominate the others.</p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;">How to taste</h2> <h2 style="text-align: justify;">There are a number of factors which will improve your wine tasting experience, and three main steps taken when wine tasting.</h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">Make sure you have clean wine glasses which can hold a reasonable volume of wine – at least 100mL with room to swirl! Wine should not be cold or too hot – room temperature is best.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Step 1: look</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Is the wine clear and free from any deposits or solids? Does it have any bronzing? Does it have bubbles when it is not a sparkling style?</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Step 2: smell</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Swirl the glass to coat the insides with wine. This helps to release the aroma compounds. Put your nose right into the glass and take a deep sniff. Does it smell good? Free from any off odours? Can you smell fruity and floral aromas that come from the grape? Are there any oak or yeasty aromas from the winemaking process?</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Step 3: taste</strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Take a big sip and move it about your mouth. Can you taste grape flavours, acid, warmth, some viscosity or oiliness? You can even suck some air in through your teeth which helps to release aroma compounds in your mouth, which can then travel through your nose to help you taste and smell the wine even better.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Is the wine complex? Does the taste last for a long time in your mouth, or does the wine taste quickly disappear?</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">There are also tools such as aroma wheels and tasting guides which may be beneficial to have on hand when tasting wines – these provide suggestions of wine descriptors. It may also be useful to write down your thoughts in a journal.</p> <h2 style="text-align: justify;">And how to appreciate</h2> <p style="text-align: justify;">The best way to really appreciate and enjoy wine is to talk about it. Enjoy wine with others such as a group of friends or a local wine enthusiast group. Taste wines side by side so you can compare the differences.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">There is a wealth of information on wine appreciation available – wine critics give reviews of wines in print and online, and most larger wine retailers will also provide wine reviews. Or get out to wineries and talk to the cellar door staff or winemakers about their wines. It is very useful to talk to other people as this helps you to build up your “wine vocabulary”.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Consider the appearance, aroma and taste and then the overall impression of the wine. Your opinion is your opinion - nobody is right and nobody is wrong. If you want to go back for another taste, or another glass, then you have found the wine for you.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Food & Wine

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“I’ve tasted the faintest bitter edge of racism”: Ash Barty admits to being racially abused

<p dir="ltr">Ash Barty has confessed that she’s been on the receiving end of “bitter racism” after finding out about her Indigenous heritage. </p> <p dir="ltr">In her autobiography, <em>My Dream Time</em>, which will be published on November 2, Barty opens up about the moment she found out about her family’s past. </p> <p dir="ltr">The former tennis player said it was a difficult moment when her father searched for the truth and eventually told Barty and her sister which then led to “vile racism”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve seen glimpses and tasted the faintest bitter edge of racism” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’d win a Deadly Award but get vilified on line. I’d become a Tennis Australia First Nations Ambassador and then find some muppet calling my heritage into question.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The three-time Grand Slam winner said there was still a lot of work and educated needed to address the importance of Indigenous Australians. </p> <p dir="ltr">“There was no need for us to talk about that in the moment but it was certainly something that confused me a little bit as to why someone would criticise something that is so personal to me,” she told NewsCorp.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Looking back now it’s all about the education and giving people the tools to understand others and appreciate what came before us.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Barty went on to reveal that her trip to Central Australia where she worked with First Nations children was when she was convinced of a connection with them. </p> <p dir="ltr">“If anything it has just reassured to me that the path I want to go down in the future is to try and help First Nations youth around the country.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Eventually, Barty found out of her Indigenous heritage when her father Rob traced back his roots. </p> <p dir="ltr">At 13 he was told by a cousin that there was Indigenous heritage in the family but his parents denied it, claiming their connection was only to Māoris in New Zealand. </p> <p dir="ltr">Rob did not accept that and went on to trace back his family history where he found out that his great grandmother was an Indigenous Australian who married a white man. </p> <p dir="ltr">Barty’s dad sat her and her sister down when she was just seven and told them the truth. </p> <p dir="ltr">The family then went on to record their names with the Ngarigu Nation. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It was not a conversation his parents could have with him,” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“To his parents, Aboriginal ancestry was something to be ashamed of and not something he should be curious about.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Does cooking bacon in water make it taste better

<p>A rumour on the internet has suggested the key to juicier, crispier bacon is submerging it in cold water and bringing it to the boil. But does this theory have legs?</p> <p>Well, the idea at least seems to check out. The difference between “good” and “bad” bacon generally comes down to the rendering of the fat from cooking to too long or too quickly. But when you cook it with the cold-water method, bringing the cold water to the simmer, cooking it away completely, you theoretically cook the fat away without drying the bacon, and once the water’s gone all you have to do is brown the meat.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2guC4Badq2s" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/eat/internet-cooking-test-should-you-cook-bacon-in-water/news-story/a4ac7d3e60033861c0a625ef9638c526" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>News.com.au</strong></em></span></a> recently put this to test, cooking a control and putting it up against the new bacon cooking method, “The ‘new’ method had produced much drier, darker bacon. It was crispier as promised, but in a way that made it less enjoyable to eat. It had developed the consistency reminiscent of beef jerky.</p> <p>“Even worse, this method seemed to have leached a lot of the bacon’s salt content out into the water before gluing it back to the outside of the bacon as it evaporated, making the bacon much saltier to taste.”</p> <p>So, what do you think? Are you going to experiment with this new bacon-cooking method, or stick to what you know works? Let us know in the comments below. </p> <p><em>Image: Youtube</em></p>

Food & Wine

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A taste of Turkey: Inside a mosaic lamp making workshop

<p dir="ltr">Do you want to experience a taste of Turkey? Then look no further than this utterly fabulous Art Masterclass. Within seconds of entering the workshop, it already feels like you’ve been transported to Turkey. </p> <p dir="ltr">The recent workshop I attended was big enough to fit around 30 people, but it also felt quite intimate, with the natural light beaming in through the windows highlighting the colours in each lamp, and the interior covered in Turkish decor including rugs, little trinkets, and handmade ceramic bowls laid out with the mosaic tiles placed neatly on each desk. </p> <p dir="ltr">The classical renditions of popular songs (including some from the Bridgerton soundtrack) was a nice touch that made the experience feel even more magical. They welcome you and guide you to your seat, where they’ve prepared a workstation that includes a template with all the design choices, mosaic tiles in all shapes and colours, glue and the glass bowl that you will be decorating. </p> <p dir="ltr">What I liked about this class is that you don’t need any prior experience or artistic skills to create your own lamp. You start off the session by laying your tiles on your desired design that’s printed on the template. The shading on the template helps you determine where the lighter and darker tiles go, and if you’re like me and don’t have any clue where to begin, this definitely helps. You can mix and match the colours and patterns, so no two lamps will look alike. </p> <p dir="ltr">The next step is to glue the tiles onto the glass bowl. Now, as easy as this sounds, it takes a bit of time and attention to detail to make sure they all fit perfectly and match the design you’ve chosen. Halfway through this process they provide you with Turkish tea and shortbread cookies, which was – no pun intended – a delight. </p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KhnC1TOb034" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">There were two teachers present in the class, and they were both very calm, patient and friendly. They took their time explaining each step, demonstrating what you should do, and answering all of your questions with a warm smile. The pace of their teaching was good, as they gave you enough time to move from one step to the next, with two and half hours to complete the lamp. </p> <p dir="ltr">The next step was the beading process, which I found to be the messiest step. At this point the glue was stringy and beads were falling all over the place, but my inner child was having the time of her life. So if you do visit with kids or grandkids, don’t be afraid if they do make a mess.</p> <p dir="ltr">The final step is the plastering process, which you have to do five to six hours later, so the glue sets properly. They gave you the option of bringing it home with a DIY plastering kit, a booklet with instructions, and a video tutorial, or paying an extra $10 to have them do it for you. </p> <p dir="ltr">I found it sweet that they also give you a free bracelet or keychain as a memento, and this experience was truly unforgettable. </p> <p dir="ltr">Prices start from $79 for a candle holder (if lamps aren’t your thing) and then vary according to the lamp size and the base you choose. I would recommend the short or tall table lamp, if you’re looking for something that has great value for money. </p> <p dir="ltr">You should give this workshop a go if you want to challenge your creativity but also spend time with family and friends. Workshops are held in various locations across Australia, and you can book their classes through <a href="https://www.artmasterclass.com.au/">here</a>. Alternatively, if you can’t find a workshop near you, they also have DIY home kits, so you too can join in the fun from home! </p>

Art

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Move over, Iron Chef, this metallic cook has just learned how to taste

<p>In an episode of <em>Futurama</em>, robot Bender wants to be a chef, but has to overcome the not inconsiderable hurdle of being incapable of taste. It was beautiful.</p> <p>Move over, Bender. A new robot has not only been programmed to taste, it has been trained to taste food at different stages of the cooking process to check for seasoning. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, UK, working with domestic appliances manufacturer Beko, hope the new robot will be useful in the development of automated food preparation.</p> <p>It’s a cliché of cooking that you must “taste as you go”. But tasting isn’t as simple as it may seem. There are different stages of the chewing process in which the release of saliva and digestive enzymes change our perception of flavour while chewing.</p> <p>The robot chef had already mastered the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/a-good-egg-robot-chef-trained-to-make-omelettes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">omelette</a> based on human tasters’ feedback. Now, results <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2022.886074" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in the <em>Frontiers in Robotics & AI</em> journal show the robot tasting nine different variations of scrambled eggs and tomatoes at three different stages of the chewing process to produce a “taste map”.</p> <p>Using machine-learning algorithms and the “taste as you go” approach, the robot was able to quickly and accurately judge the saltiness of the simple scrambled egg dish. The new method was a significant improvement over other tasting tech based on only a single sample.</p> <p>Saltiness was measured by a conductance probe attached to the robot’s arm. They prepared the dish, varying the number of tomatoes and amount of salt. “Chewed” food was passed through a blender, then tested for saltiness again.</p> <figure class="wp-block-video"><video src="../wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Unchewed-sampling-short.mp4" controls="controls" width="300" height="150"></video><figcaption>This robot ‘chef’ is learning to be a better cook by ‘tasting’ the saltiness of a simple dish of eggs and tomatoes at different stages of the cooking process, imitating a similar process in humans. Credit: Bio-Inspired Robotics Laboratory, University of Cambridge.</figcaption></figure> <p>“Most home cooks will be familiar with the concept of tasting as you go – checking a dish throughout the cooking process to check whether the balance of flavours is right,” said lead author Grzegorz Sochacki from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering. “If robots are to be used for certain aspects of food preparation, it’s important that they are able to ‘taste’ what they’re cooking.”</p> <p>The new approach aims to mimic the continuous feedback provided to the human brain in the process of chewing, says Dr Arsen Abdulali, also from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering. “Current methods of electronic testing only take a single snapshot from a homogenised sample, so we wanted to replicate a more realistic process of chewing and tasting in a robotic system, which should result in a tastier end product.”</p> <p>“When a robot is learning how to cook, like any other cook, it needs indications of how well it did,” said Abdulali. “We want the robots to understand the concept of taste, which will make them better cooks. In our experiment, the robot can ‘see’ the difference in the food as it’s chewed, which improves its ability to taste.”</p> <p> “We believe that the development of robotic chefs will play a major role in busy households and assisted living homes in the future,” said senior Beko scientist Dr Muhammad W. Chugtai. “This result is a leap forward in robotic cooking, and by using machine and deep-learning algorithms, mastication will help robot chefs adjust taste for different dishes and users.” Next on the menu will be training robots to improve and expand the tasting abilities to oily or sweet food, for example. Sounds pretty sweet.</p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=190155&title=Move+over%2C+Iron+Chef%2C+this+metallic+cook+has+just+learned+how+to+taste" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/robot-machine-learning-taste/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/evrim-yazgin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evrim Yazgin</a>. Evrim Yazgin has a Bachelor of Science majoring in mathematical physics and a Master of Science in physics, both from the University of Melbourne.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> </div>

Technology

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Masterchef judge Melissa Leong moved to tears after tasting dish

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>It was an emotional episode for Masterchef judge Melissa Leong who was overwhelmed with joy after tasting a Malaysian curry dish.</p> <p>She was overcome with emotion as she tasted contestant Poh Ling Yeow's dish as memories of Leong's mother's cooking came flooding back.</p> <p>Monday night's episode was a Mystery Box challenge which saw the top six creating dishes inspired by the colours of a Rubik's cube.</p> <p>Poh selected red which was represented by chilli on the plate and served up a chicken and potato curry paired with herbed fried rice, fried whitebait, red onion and chilli relish as well as a roti.</p> <p>Leong said that the food tasted like "home".</p> <p>“If you come from South East Asia, it’s a taste of home, if you come from somewhere else, it’s a taste of soul and history and heart, and that’s what we love about your food.”</p> <p>“The balance of flavour and the depth of flavour you’ve managed to achieve in 75 minutes it’s impressive, and I think you’ve done an incredible job honouring your heritage,” she said, her voice quavering.</p> <p>“I think it’s really special … and I’m really proud to eat food like this,” she said, lowering her head as her eyes filled with tears.</p> <p>“I’m actually crying with joy, and that doesn’t happen very often,” she explained.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">This is one dish that was made with an abundance of love 🧡 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MasterChefAU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MasterChefAU</a> <a href="https://t.co/iuixwCIHNF">pic.twitter.com/iuixwCIHNF</a></p> — masterchefau (@masterchefau) <a href="https://twitter.com/masterchefau/status/1277551821691604992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>Judge Jock Zonfrillo was curious and asked where the emotion came from.</p> <p>“What is it about that specifically that made you cry?” Jock kindly asked Melissa.</p> <p>“I really miss my mum, and this is food she cooks,” the magnetic star replied through tears.</p> <p>“The way she can honour the accuracy of the flavours and the textures is absolutely spot on … Regardless of your culture, what she put in to this cook, that’s what we look for here,” she said, referencing Poh.</p> <p>Poh's curry sent her straight through to the top three to battle it out for the coveted immunity pin alongside Laura, whose white dessert wowed and Reynold who made a moss-inspired sweet dish that surprised the judges.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Food & Wine

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Why does pizza taste so good?

<p> </p> <blockquote> <p><strong>Why does pizza taste so good? – Annika, age 5, Oneonta, New York</strong></p> </blockquote> <hr /> <p>Pizza is <a href="https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/history-pizza">one of the world’s most popular foods</a>.</p> <p>In the U.S., <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/69737/46-mouthwatering-facts-about-pizza">350 slices</a> are eaten every second, while <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/69737/46-mouthwatering-facts-about-pizza">40% of Americans</a> eat pizza at least once a week.</p> <p>There’s a reason why pizza is so popular. <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/1307.7982.pdf">Humans are drawn to foods</a> that are fatty and sweet and rich and complex. Pizza has all of these components. Cheese is fatty, meat toppings tend to be rich, and the sauce is sweet.</p> <p>Pizza toppings are also packed with a compound called <a href="https://neurohacker.com/what-is-glutamate">glutamate</a>, which can be found in the tomatoes, cheese, pepperoni and sausage. When glutamate hits our tongues, it tells our brains to get excited – and to crave more of it. This compound actually causes our mouths to water in anticipation of the next bite.</p> <p>Then there are the combinations of ingredients. Cheese and tomato sauce are like a perfect marriage. On their own, they taste pretty good. But according to culinary scientists, they contain flavor compounds <a href="http://specertified.com/blog/view/why-does-pizza-taste-so-good-the-science-of-the-5-basic-tastes-and-pizzas-c">that taste even better when eaten together</a>.</p> <p>Another quality of pizza that makes it so delicious: Its ingredients become brown while cooking in the oven.</p> <p>Foods turn brown and crispy when we cook them because of two chemical reactions.</p> <p>The first is called <a href="https://www.scienceofcooking.com/caramelization.htm">caramelization</a>, which happens when the sugars in a food become brown. Most foods contain at least some sugar; once foods are between 230 and 320 degrees, their sugars begin to turn brown. Caramel <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221871719_Unraveling_the_Chemical_Composition_of_Caramel">is made from several thousand compounds</a>, making it one of the most complex food products. On a pizza, ingredients like onions and tomatoes become caramelized during baking, making them rich and sweet and flavorful. That brown and crispy crust is also the result of the dough caramelizing.</p> <p>While the meat and cheese on your pizza also get brown, this is due to a different process called the “<a href="https://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i40/Maillard-Reaction-Turns-100.html">Maillard reaction</a>,” which is named after French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard.</p> <p>The Maillard reaction occurs when the amino acids in high-protein foods like cheese and pepperoni react with the sugars in those foods when heated. Pepperonis that become crispy with curled edges, and cheese that browns and bubbles, are examples of the Maillard reaction at work.</p> <p>With bread, cheese and tomato sauce as its base, pizza might seem like a simple food.</p> <p>It isn’t. And now, the next time you’re about to devour a slice, you’ll be able to appreciate all of the elements of pizza that excite our brains, thrill our taste buds and cause our mouths to water.<!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jeffrey-miller-465603">Jeffrey Miller</a>, Associate Professor, Hospitality Management, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/colorado-state-university-1267">Colorado State University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-does-pizza-taste-so-good-125618">original article</a>.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Enjoy the taste of summer with a mango and cucumber noodle salad

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Enjoy the taste of summer with this refreshing salad.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Serves</strong>: 6 as side salad</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Prep time</strong>: 30 mins</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Cooking time</strong>: 0 mins</span></p> <p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2 large Calypso® mangoes</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">200g Qukes®, sliced into rounds </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">100g dried rice vermicelli noodles </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 1/2 cups fresh herbs (like mint, coriander, Thai basil)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">125g snow peas, shredded</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 long red chilli, thinly sliced</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1/2 baby wombok, shredded</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1/4 red cabbage, shredded</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">3/4 cup roasted salted cashews or macadamia nuts</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Dressing</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1/3 cup coconut water</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 tbs grated ginger</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Method</strong></p> <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cut the cheeks from the mango. Using a large spoon, carefully scoop the flesh out in 1 piece. Thinly slice the mango crossways. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prepare the noodles following packet directions. Refresh under cold water and drain well. Use kitchen scissors to cut noodles into thirds. Transfer to a large bowl and add the Qukes®, herbs, snow peas, chilli and mango slices.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Combine all the dressing ingredients together and season with salt. Pour three-quarters over the salad and toss gently to combine.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Combine the wombok and cabbage and arrange over base of large serving platter or board. Top with mango salad. Scatter over the cashews. Spoon over remaining dressing and serve.  </span></li> </ol> <p>Tip: <span style="font-weight: 400;">You can add shredded chicken or chopped prawns to turn this salad into a main meal.</span></p> <p><em>Recipe courtesy of  Calypso Mangos.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Enjoy the taste of summer with a tropical granola breakfast tart

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Juicy, delicious and bursting with nutritional goodness, these breakfast tarts are the perfect way to wake up.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Serves:</strong> 4</span></p> <p><strong>Cooking time: </strong>20 minutes</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Ingredients</strong>:</span></p> <p><strong>Tarts</strong></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">         </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">3 Cups rolled oats</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">         </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 Cup sunflower seeds</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">         </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 Tsp vanilla paste</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">         </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">¼ Cup honey</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">         </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">½ Tsp cinnamon</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">         </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">4 Tbsp melted coconut oil</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">         </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 egg white</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Topping</strong></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">   </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 Tub coconut yoghurt</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">    </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fruits for topping – Ruby Rise Red Papaya sliced, mango cubed, blueberries</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">   </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shaved coconut</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">   </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 Tbsp honey</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Method</strong>:</span></p> <ol> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Preheat the oven to 120 degrees.</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lightly spray 4 small tart tins with vegetable oil.</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a medium bowl combine oats, cinnamon, sunflower seeds, vanilla, honey, egg white and coconut oil. Mix well. Divide the mixture between tins. Press the mixture at the bottom of the pans and press evenly at the bottom and sides of pan – be sure to leave ditch/well for the yoghurt.</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bake for 20 minutes or until light and golden brown.</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Allow to cool in the tins for 10 mins, then move to a cooling rack (keep in tins).</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">When completely cool, gently remove.</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Place a few spoonfuls of yoghurt into the granola tarts, then top with the fruit and toasted coconut. Drizzle with honey.</span></li> </ol> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recipe and photo courtesy of Ruby Ryse Papaya.</span></em></p>

Food & Wine

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“Very poor taste”: Airline slammed after morbid Twitter gaffe

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An airline has had to apologise to the public after tweeting a grim statistic as a part of a “Tuesday Trivia” promotion.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The airline tweeted statistics about the likelihood of a passenger dying during a crash based on their seating assignment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“According to data studies by Time, the fatality rate for the seats in the middle of the plane is the highest.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“However, the fatality rate for the seats in the front is marginally lesser and is least for seats at the rear third of a plane,” the tweet said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There was an image of an aircraft seat accompanying the tweet as well as the message:  “Seats at the back of a plane are the safest!”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many twitter users responded in droves, saying that the tweet was inappropriate.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">KLM India removed the tweet and replaced it with an apology.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">We would like to sincerely apologise for a recent update. The post was based on a publically available aviation fact, and isn't a <a href="https://twitter.com/KLM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KLM</a> opinion. It was never our intention to hurt anyone's sentiments. The post has since been deleted.</p> — KLM India (@KLMIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/KLMIndia/status/1151574115049803777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, for some Twitter users, the damage was done.  </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If I’m gonna die it’s going to be in first class,” one person commented.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Frankly, I’m glad to know the seats in the back of the plane are the safest,” another added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Besides the tweet which was in very poor taste, your statement also wasn’t a fact because there’s just not enough data (thankfully) to make that assertion,” one person wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One user pointed out the morbid timing of the tweet.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Not the best tweet on the fifth anniversary of crash of #MH17,” a user wrote.</span></p>

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How our sense of taste changes as we age

<p>Taste is a complex phenomenon. We do not experience the sensation through a single sense (as we would when we see something using our sense of sight, for example) but rather it is made up of the five senses working together to allow us to appreciate and enjoy food and drink. Initial visual inspection of food indicates if we would consider consuming it. Then, when eating, smell and flavour combine to allow us to perceive a taste. Meanwhile, the mix of ingredients, texture and temperature can further impact how we experience it.</p> <p>Unfortunately, this means that losing any of our senses, particularly smell or taste, can reduce our enjoyment of food. Think of the last time you had a cold or a blocked nose. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2579627/">It’s likely that</a> the temporary loss of smell changed the way you tasted food, lowered your appetite, or might even have caused you to overconsume as a means of seeking satisfaction and satiation.</p> <p>A similar phenomenon <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/130/4/927S/4686631">happens when we get older</a>. The way we perceive taste starts to change by the age of 60 – when the sensitivity of our sense of smell <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181219115505.htm">also starts to diminish</a> – becoming severe from the age of 70.</p> <p><strong>Contributing senses</strong></p> <p>As set out above, when our sense of smell functions less and is not able to detect and discriminate between different smells, it <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2579627/">affects our taste perception</a>. The decline in sensitivity of sense of smell with age is due to several factors, including a reduction in the number of olfactory receptors – which recognise different odour molecules – in the back of the nasal cavity, as well as a declining rate of regeneration of the receptor cells.</p> <p>Another reason for impairment of the sense of taste with ageing is due to structural changes in the taste papillae. These bumpy structures host taste buds in the mouth, on the tongue and palate. One type of these papillae, fungiform, which contain high levels of taste buds, decreases in number as we age and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23013608">also changes in shape</a>, becoming more closed. The more open the papillae, the easier it is for chemicals in food to come into contact with the receptors to create taste. Closed papillae <a href="https://academic.oup.com/chemse/article/43/2/117/4718453">reduce the contact surface</a> between food compounds and receptors resulting in less perception of food tastes.</p> <p><strong>Changing tastes</strong></p> <p>Poor chewing is another factor that contributes to low detection of tastes. Due to ageing or poor oral health, some people lose their teeth, with many resorting to dentures. But dentures, particularly if ill-fitting, can affect the quality of chewing and breaking down of food compounds. This can then reduce the dissolution of the food compounds in saliva and reduces the contact levels with the sensory receptors in the taste buds. In addition, saliva secretion <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2579627/">can also decline</a> as a result of ageing. This means that there is less fluid to carry food compounds to the taste receptors, and less liquid available to help food compounds to dissolve, so taste is more poorly received.</p> <p>General health also plays an important role in our sense of taste at any age. Head injuries, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2980431/pdf/0561142.pdf">medicinal drugs</a>, respiratory infections, <a href="https://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/coping/side-effects-and-symptoms/eating-problems/changes-in-taste.html">cancer</a>, radiation, and environmental exposure such as <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140325094810.htm">smoke</a> and particulates can all contribute to an impaired sense of taste and exposure to many of these factors increase as we get older.</p> <p>Not everyone’s sense of taste declines in the same way, however. Changes are known to be diverse among different people and genders, and not everyone shows the same level of impairment as they age. Though some things are inevitable, there are things that we can all do to at least reduce loss of taste. Our preliminary research, for example, has indicated that keeping a healthy diet, an active lifestyle, and ensuring a low to moderate consumption of the five tastes – sweet, sour, salt, umami and bitter – could help to slow down the changes in papillae.</p> <p><em>Written by Anita Setarehnejad and Ruth Fairchild. Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-our-sense-of-taste-changes-as-we-age-112569"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>. </em></p>

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What drives our wine choice – taste or the price tag?

<p>Can a wine drinker judge the quality of a bottle by its price? The nature of this relationship has always been contested.</p> <p>We expect that consumers are willing to pay more for higher quality wines, while higher quality wines typically cost much more to produce. Some studies have identified that better quality wines do in fact <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1574-0862.2001.tb00058.x/abstract">sell for higher prices</a>, others <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13504850701222145#.VI5EmnuK2Vo">have not</a>.</p> <p>Fundamentally, it is the subjective nature of wine quality assessment and the lack of quality information held by consumers which potentially drives a wedge between price and its quality.</p> <p>Even though expert wine tasters are able to provide a sensory evaluation of a wine’s characteristics, evaluation is subjective and different tasters often maintain different opinions for the same wine.</p> <p>Further, wine is often argued to be an “experience good” - which means that consumers need to purchase and consume the good first to evaluate it. This subjective nature of wine evaluation and the inability of consumers to know what’s in the bottle before consuming it means that the pricing of wines according to some measure of quality may prove particularly difficult.</p> <p>To explain how wine prices differ statistical models have been developed to examine the relationship between wine price and its quality and a series of other factors thought to influence prices. These statistical models are called hedonic price functions.</p> <p>These hedonic functions recognise that price depends upon both demand and supply factors and are employed generally for differentiated goods, such as houses, personal computers and cars. For wine, hedonic price functions statistically estimate the relationship between prices and measures of a wine’s quality, reputation, variety, region, vintage, and other factors for one of the seminal wine studies.</p> <p>In an attempt to shed light on the price-quality debate, Chris Doucouliagos and I have recently <a href="http://ajae.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/07/12/ajae.aau057.short">undertaken a meta analysis</a> of the relation between wine prices and quality ratings. The purpose of a meta analysis is to summarise previously published results from studies and make general conclusions of the major findings of a body of literature.</p> <p>The meta analysis examined more than 180 hedonic wine price models developed over 20 years covering many countries. The research identifies that the relation between the price of wine and its sensory quality rating is a moderate partial correlation of +0.30. This correlation is positive and statistically significant in approximately 90% of cases. In other words, approximately 90% of models estimated in the literature identified that the positive relation between prices and quality is not due to chance.</p> <p>The findings from the meta-analysis indicate, however, that the correlation between price and its quality is not perfect. That is, some wines are over-priced compared to quality, others may be under-priced. This recognition suggests some important implications for both wine producers and consumers.</p> <p>For wine producers specific pricing strategies to follow will depend on the quality of the wines produced and the nature of competition that producers face in the market. For example, some low quality producers may be able to charge higher prices than implied by quality, in the short term, as buyers may find it uneconomic to conduct the necessary search to identify quality.</p> <p>In other words, some consumers may be fooled by higher prices inferring higher quality, and pay higher prices than they really should. This deception may only occur for a short period of time as consumers become more aware of the wine’s quality over time.</p> <p>Alternatively, high quality producers may seek to charge higher prices than suggested by the wine’s quality level given that low-quality producers cannot sustainably follow a similar strategy.</p> <p>For consumers, the results imply that price may or may not infer quality. In other words, consumers should be wary of using price as a sole indicator of a wine’s quality. This implies that better informed buyers could potentially identify bargains in the short run. In this context expert wine guides potentially play an important role and I have developed a web-based tool called the <a href="http://csusap.csu.edu.au/%7Eeoczkows/winestart.htm?gclid=CLzokZ3uzsICFUwDvAodzjoAgg">Australian Wine Price Calculator</a> to help identify under and over-priced wines.</p> <p>The question naturally arises, if wine experts differ in their opinions of a wine, what does a consumer do? Wine expert Jancis Robinson suggests that individual consumers may wish to follow the “preferences and prejudices” of a specific wine critic in making wine purchase choices.</p> <p>The moderate price-quality correlation identified across numerous studies occurs despite the lack of information held by consumers about a wine’s quality and the inconsistency of expert tasters when evaluating wines. Despite all this, it can be argued that quality still does matter.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35252/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/eddie-oczkowski-147677">Eddie Oczkowski</a>, Professor of Applied Economics and Quantitative Methods, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-sturt-university-849">Charles Sturt University</a></span>. Republished with permission of <span><a href="https://theconversation.com/what-drives-our-wine-choice-taste-or-the-price-tag-35252">The Conversation</a></span>.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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“Isn’t that cheating?”: MasterChef fans confused by Matt Preston’s tasting

<p>MasterChef judge Matt Preston shocked viewers last night as he sampled a contestant’s dish before the challenge was over – and then didn’t pick the dish to get tasted.</p> <p>The mystery box challenge on last night’s episode of MasterChef Australia was to take an everyday loaf of bread and turn it into the best thing since sliced bread.</p> <p>Judges Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston declared they were only going to taste the top three dishes they saw in the kitchen.</p> <p>But that didn’t stop Matt from taking a bite out of contestant Jess Liemantara’s Indonesian fried bread sandwich with plum sauce before the dish was completed.</p> <p>The judges usually advise contestants while they cook but they don’t often taste a dish so early.</p> <p>After complimenting Jess on her work, Matt surprised viewers by saying that they should “just taste it together.”</p> <p>Upon taking a big hearty bite of the fried bread sandwich, Matt had nothing but praise.</p> <p>“It’s great. That’s brilliant. It’s exciting,” he said. “And I’m so proud that you’re doing something totally different from what you normally do. That’s really good. And it tastes delicious.”</p> <p>Jess was thrilled, and said: “Matt’s reaction is basically what I want people to have, you know, that experience of, you know, you don’t need to say anything when the food is good. And I’m hoping that it’s enough to get me to the top three.”</p> <p>But unfortunately it wasn’t enough for Jess with the judges picking Aldo Otardo’s Nonna’s meatballs, Gina Ottaway’s chicken schnitzel with Italian potato salad and Ben Borsht’s crumbed lamb cutlets with caramelised onion and a dipping gravy.</p> <p>MasterChef viewers took to social media to vent saying it was unfair for Matt to taste Jess’ dish.</p> <p>One viewer wrote: “Isn’t Matt tasting Jess food before cheating?”</p> <p>“When we finally have our Royal Commission into #MasterChefAU judging, Matt pre-tasting Jess' dish and giving advance feedback is going to be the first cab off the rank,” joked another fan.</p> <p>After seeing who won, many viewers were confused, saying it should’ve been called the “breadcrumb challenge” instead of a “bread” challenge.</p> <p>One Twitter user wrote: “Halfway through the competition and we have meatballs, schnitzel and cutlets in a challenge where bread should be the ‘hero’.”</p> <p>Another posted: “So basically all u had to do was crumb something and u hit the brief with making the bread the star of the dish #MasterChefAU”</p> <p>Others made suggestions for dishes. One viewer wrote: “There is so many things they could have made French toast or even bread and butter pudding #MasterchefAU”</p>

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The reason wine tastes odd on planes

<p>If you’ve ever asked for a glass of red on a plane to relax (or perhaps calm your nerves) you might’ve noticed how it tastes a little bit different when you’re in the plane cabin.</p> <p>Well, there’s a good reason for this.</p> <p>Writing for <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff</span></strong></a>, travel expert Michael Austin explains why this is the case.</p> <p>“That air is being recirculated, and it carries provocative notes of jet fuel, upholstery and carpet, all of which tend to fade the longer you spend in that tube, and maybe that's a good thing for those of us who don't particularly love those smells,” Austin writes.</p> <p>“But the problem is that even the stuff we do want to smell eventually fades. And when the aromas go, the flavours go too. It's all caused by your own aircraft-induced dehydration – the drying-out that afflicts you every time you go wheels-up.</p> <p>“You don't get entirely stripped of your ability to smell and taste, obviously (you can taste well enough to know that you're not wild about the over-salted yet still-kind-of-bland food resting on the tray in front of you), but your senses very quickly begin to operate at a fraction of their normal capacity - and they go downhill from there.</p> <p>“You gradually lose your ability to smell and taste the subtle aromas and flavours you might have been easily able to identify and name in the most creative ways on the ground.”</p> <p>So, there you have it, that’s why wine tastes a little odd on planes.</p>

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