Taste: Surprising Stories and Science About Why Food Tastes Good

W
hether it’s a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup, maple-cured bacon sizzling hot from the pan, or a salted caramel coated in dark chocolate, you know when food tastes good to you. But you may not know the amazing story behind
why
you love some foods and can’t tolerate others. Now, in
Taste What You’re Missing
, the first book that demystifies the science of taste, you’ll learn how your individual biology, genetics, and brain create a personal experience of everything you taste—and how you can make the most of it.

A seasoned food developer to whom food companies turn for help in creating delicious new products, Barb Stuckey reveals that much of what we think we know about how taste works is wrong. And the truth is much more fascinating—for instance, your tongue is
not
divided into quadrants for sweet, sour, salt, and bitter and only a fraction of what you taste happens in your mouth. As Stuckey explains how our five senses work together to form “flavor perceptions,” she tells intriguing stories about people who have lost the sense of smell or taste and the unexpected ways their experience of food changes as a result. You’ll learn why kids (and some adults) turn up their noses at Brussels sprouts and broccoli, how salt makes grapefruit sweet, and why you drink your coffee black while your spouse loads it with cream and sugar.

Stuckey also provides eye-opening experiments in which you can discover your unique “taster type” and learn why you react instinctively to certain foods, in particular why your response to bitterness is unique. You’ll find ways to improve your ability to discern flavors, detect ingredients, and devise taste combinations in your own kitchen for delectable results.

Taste What You’re Missing
gives curious eaters, Food Network watchers, kitchen tinkerers, and armchair Top Chefs the understanding and language to impress friends and families with insider knowledge about everything edible. What Harold McGee did for the science of cooking Barb Stuckey does for the science of taste in
Taste What You’re Missing
, a calorie-free way to get more pleasure from every bite.

Praise for

T
ASTE
W
HAT
Y
OU’RE
M
ISSING

“Barb Stuckey’s book makes the complicated science of food and taste accessible to anyone. It is as enjoyable a read as it is a thorough summary of why ‘good’ tastes ‘good.’”

—D
AVID
C
HANG, CHEF AND OWNER OF
M
OMOFUKU

“Understanding taste and flavor (and the difference between them) is one of the foundations of great cuisine. Barb Stuckey’s book is an excellent primer on the subject. Her enthusiasm for food and science is infectious, and she explains with clarity and humor (and some neat little experiments you can try out) exactly what happens as we eat. Great reading for cooks, foodies, and indeed anyone interested in the sensory world that surrounds us.”

—H
ESTON
B
LUMENTHAL, CHEF AND OWNER OF
T
HE
F
AT
D
UCK

“
Taste What You’re Missing
would be useful to anyone who cooks—with or without a culinary degree.”

—P
ETER
R
AINSFORD
, P
H.
D., V
ICE
P
RESIDENT
, A
CADEMIC
A
FFAIRS,
T
HE
C
ULINARY
I
NSTITUTE OF
A
MERICA

“Simply fascinating! Compelling! A page-turner.
Taste What You’re Missing
should be required reading for anyone who eats. In layman’s terms, Barb Stuckey gives us the tools to analyze and diagnose our food neuroses, as well as get the most out of every plate of food we consume. I think if we were better tasters as a whole, we would seek out better, and yes, healthier foods for ourselves and our children.”

—C
ARLA
H
ALL
, T
OP
C
HEF
A
LL
-S
TARS
FAN FAVORITE, CO-HOST ON
T
HE
C
HEW
,
AND FOUNDER OF
A
LCHEMY BY
C
ARLA
H
ALL

“A fascinating book that will change the way you think of everything you eat or drink forever.”

—K
ATHLEEN
F
LINN, AUTHOR OF
T
HE
S
HARPER
Y
OUR
K
NIFE,
THE
L
ESS
Y
OU
C
RY
AND
T
HE
K
ITCHEN
C
OUNTER
C
OOKING
S
CHOOL

“This book brilliantly weaves the subjective experience of eating together with the objective science of taste perception. A must-read for food lovers and cooks alike. You’ll never look at a plate of food the same way again.”

—M
ING
T
SAI, CHEF AND OWNER OF
B
LUE
G
INGER, HOST AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF
S
IMPLY
M
ING

Barb Stuckey
is a professional food developer who leads the marketing, food trend tracking, and consumer research functions at Mattson, North America’s largest independent developer of new foods and beverages, where she has worked for fifteen years. She and her fiancé divide their time between San Francisco and Healdsburg, in California’s Sonoma wine country.

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