The sweet smell of memory

When cooking and eating, smell is just as important as taste. Peter Würth is making a case for garlic, cheese and cinnamon.

There are lots of books that talk about smell in the title – “The Sweet Smell of Success”, “The Sweet Smell of Blood”, “The Sweet Smell of Power”, “The Sweet Smell of Evil”. And for some reason, the smell is always sweet. “The Sulphurous Smell of Evil” or “The Pompous Smell of Power” would probably be more accurate. At least there is a book entitled “The Bitter Smell of Chrysanthemums”. However, this is an outlier and based on the fact that chrysanthemums actually smell so bitter that, in South-East Asia, they are used to make incense coils that are burned to keep mosquitoes away.

Scents directly trigger memories

Smell is our most primal sense. Olfactory information goes from the nose directly to the cerebral cortex without being processed in the thalamus beforehand. The paleocortex – “paleo” means that it is the oldest part of the brain – is responsible for processing smells. The things that we smell affect us directly. We do not have to think too much, specific scents automatically trigger memories. We all have an olfactory memory.

Smells create images

The wonderful smells of Grandma’s biscuits, the mouth-watering aromas of Uncle Jacques’ roast dinner, the delicious scent of morning tea on holiday in Morocco. Whenever we smell something similar, our brain magically conjures up an image: Grandma with her apron in front of the oven, Uncle Jacques carving his roast with a good glass of red wine next to him, the bazaar in Marrakesh with its colours, noises and array of exotic smells.

Don't forget the nose

When we eat, we only ever talk about taste: salty, bitter, acidic, sweet and umami (which was first discovered in 2000). These are the different flavours that our tongues can differentiate. We season our food to seduce our tongues. And we forget all about our noses. We often forget about our sense of smell, even though it completes the eating experience. Some chefs do not really think a lot about how their food smells. And food from the microwave does not smell very pleasant at all. The right smell can add another dimension to food, evoking memories and stories, triggering associations, inspiring us. When chewing, we combine smell and taste and so can experience the full complexity of a dish. So let’s give smell a chance. Thank God that kitchens are not longer separated off from the living areas and from the non-cooking inhabitants of the home. In the open kitchens of today, everyone can get a whiff of what is about to be served – and notice if something is burning. Let’s leave the smells to linger for a bit without rushing to open the windows. Let’s ban cheese from the fridge – it does not really even belong there. Let’s be brave with garlic and use so much that the neighbours can also enjoy it. Let’s add branches of rosemary and thyme to our roasts, let’s use cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom or cumin. Just like with perfumes, you can compose smells in the kitchen and awaken emotions. And that’s what really matters with cooking.

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