A Taste of Molecules: In Search of the Secrets of Flavor (Women Writing Science)

Food meets science, via Proust. We're introduced to flavour even before we're born, and throughout our lives we attach memories, and a sense of home and identity to meals eaten with family and friends. The Danes are so obsessed by the joy of eating together, they even have a word for it--hygge (pronounced who-ga): "That sense of comfort, safety and pleasure that arises from the taste of good food eaten with good company." But how are new flavours created, and how does flavour get into food in the first place? An enchanting personal tale. After a death in the family, the author uses the food of her childhood home in New Mexico as a springboard to travel, taste and discover the food and food science around her home in Belgium and beyond. Through lighthearted chapters such as "The Singing Baguettes" and poignant ones like "Recipes for Remembering" we get a gentle and charming introduction to the world of flavour and sensory science. Science like you've never tasted it. Discover what it's like to dine with  -- and experiment on -- a group of food scientists in a so-called dark restaurant; to taste new apple varieties, only with your eyes; and to watch a young beekeeper turn honey into one of the oldest, most sublime beverages in the world. The book is a lively, enjoyable read to be tasted again and again through the science and memory-inspired recipes in the back. Diane Fresquez lives in Belgium, and for many years was a special correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.