Yahoo LifestyleYoghurt tastes best on a small, white spoon? Study finds food ‘tastes different’ depending on cutlery
The shape, colour and weight of our crockery alters our perception of how the food will taste, according to new research
Have you always wondered why Coke tastes better in a glass bottle than in a can?
Well according to a new study, food and drink does indeed ‘taste different’ depending on what you use to eat it with.
The weight, shape and even colour of cutlery ‘alters our perception’ of food – which has an effect on the overall flavour.
Researchers at the University of Oxford carried out three experiments with more than 100 students looking at the perception of taste.
The participants were asked to test yoghurt, cheese and desserts with a variety of different crockery in different shapes, colours and weights.
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The study found that yoghurts tasted sweeter on the small spoons that are used to serve desserts – because our brains have already judged how it will taste using it.
Bizarrely, colour of cutlery was important too – with yoghurt tasting sweeter on a white spoon than a black spoon.
The participants also tested the taste of cheese using knives, spoons, forks and toothpicks.
According to the results, a slab of Stilton tastes saltiest when eaten with a knife.
"How we experience food is a multisensory experience involving taste, feel of the food in our mouths, aroma, and the feasting of our eyes," said Prof Charles Spence and Dr Vanessa Harrar from the University of Oxford.
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"Even before we put food into our mouths our brains have made a judgment about it, which affects our overall experience."
That explains why Coke always tastes better in a glass then!
Does food taste different to you depending on what cutlery you use? Tell us over on Twitter now.
