|
At first glance, waters and mineral water may not seem to have the individual characteristics that distinguish wines. But through comparison with the flavors in wine, subtle but distinct differences in water flavors become apparent, too. This chapter will examine the components of flavor as they apply to water.
FLAVOR = TASTE + SMELL + MOUTHFEEL
Taste, smell, and mouthfeel (a food’s tactile sensation) combine to produce flavor. Sensory receptors in the nose and mouth report information on each of these three components to the brain, where the sensation is integrated in a highly complex process we are just beginning to understand. Food writers often pay little attention to mouthfeel, but it is a very important property of both food and water. The size, amount, and distribution of bubbles—or lack of them—are essential to the mouthfeel of water. I use the FineWaters Balance to describe a water’s mouthfeel (see page 43). Here’s a comparison of the elements of flavor in wine and water:
|
|
TASTE
|
SMELL
|
MOUTHFEEL
|
|
WINE
|
complex
|
complex
|
unifom
|
|
WATER
|
very subtle
|
absent
|
complex
|
Based on these factors, a wine tasting emphasizes taste and smell, whereas mouthfeel is the most important characteristic to consider in a water tasting.
TASTE
You may have seen a map of the tongue divided into regions sensitive to different tastes - salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami (savory).This misleading map originated in a mistranslated German thesis from the early twentieth century, which was disproven in 1974. Collections of cells called taste buds are spread across the tongue and the hard and soft palates; they are all sensitive to any kind of taste.
SMELL
We can perceive thousands of different odors, but unlike taste, no scheme to categorize basic smells has been established. Instead, the associated object usually lends its name to the smell: An orange may taste sweet, but it smells like an orange. Nerve cells that act as olfactory receptors have a lifespan of about thirty days. While chewing,we can perceive odors through both the nose and the oral cavity.
MOUTHFEEL
You may not be familiar with the term mouthfeel, but you know the concept if you can tell the difference in texture between a creamy pudding, a crunchy pickle, a crispy potato chip, and soft bread. Mouthfeel and texture have a lot of influence over how satisfying food is. |
