Lots of things influence how your dinner may taste to you: how it's presented on a plate, how hungry
you are and of course, your taste buds. But researchers wanted to know if early
courses--appetizers--influence the taste of meal, and truly do whet your appetite.
Researchers had 64 volunteers eat one of two meals. The meals were the same-bruschetta as
an appetizer and an entree of pasta with garlic and oil. The pasta that everyone got was prepared
to be only so-so. But some of the volunteers first got a bruschetta that was made to be mediocre,
while the others got one that was stellar.
Then the volunteers rated the meals. And people who ate the good appetizer thought their entree was
even worse that did people who had the middling appetizer. The study is in the journal Food
Quality and Preference. [Jacob Lahne and Debra A. Zellner, The great is the enemy of the food:
Hedonic contrast in a coursed meal]
This work builds on previous studies that have focused on the perception of food and drink, and
other sensory experience. In one investigation for example, searchers found that hearing a loud
sound first then makes a soft sound seem to sound even softer.
Researcher call this effect hedonic contrast--the perception on pleasure gained from something is
affected by how it compares to other similar stimuli. Maybe keep that fact in mind--or on the tip of
your tongue--next time you plan your courses.