Food - Drink
Why You Should Try Holding Your Nose While Eating Chocolate
By KAREN HART
Chocolate speaks the language of love, calms toddlers, and soothes the brokenhearted. Per Forbes, the average American ate about 9.5 pounds in 2015 while people in Switzerland, the chocolate capital of the world, consumed an average of nearly 20 pounds. How can you enjoy those pounds even more?
If you gently hold your nose for 2 to 3 seconds as your favorite chocolate rests on your tongue and begins to melt in your mouth, when you release your nose, you will discover you have a heightened sense of what the chocolate tastes like. You may even detect subtle notes of other flavors in your chocolate.
But why does this trick work? Scientific American explains that smell, along with touch, is such an integral part of taste. Holding your nose actually inhibits the taste but, once you release your nose, it allows the fragrance of the chocolate to permeate your nostrils and you can suddenly taste its creamy flavor.