What makes that chocolate hazelnut latte taste so good? Why do certain foods have an agreeable taste to nearly everyone, when other foods - like broccoli – are not universally liked? Why is that the foods that are ‘bad’ for you always taste the best?

The main reason is flavour. There are four main flavours: salty, bitter, sour and sweet. They are the primary ‘colours’ of your palate…all flavours are just variations and mixtures of these basics. For example, chocolate is a surprisingly popular mixture of bitter and sweet. Pickles are a mixture of sweet, sour and salty. As most of us studied the pattern of taste at school, I won’t reiterate it here.

Mouth feel does not play a part in flavour; a thin chip does not ‘taste’ better than a crinkle cut chip, nor does an aerated chocolate ‘taste’ creamier compared to a solid piece of chocolate. What gives the illusion of a better or improved flavour are the different textures or sensations. An example of this is the acidity of coffee. Coffee is often perceived as sour…but what is really ‘tasted’ is the sensation of ‘dryness’ that accompanies a mouthful of coffee, caused by the acidity of the coffee.

Scent plays an important part is how humans perceive flavour. A sweet smell in a food will often give the impression of the food having a sweeter flavour. The aroma of coffee is often a major reason for its popularity with the people who drink it. It is the volatile chemical compounds in an aroma that gives most flavours their subtlety. I have previously covered the mechanism of the sense of smell, if you want to investigate further, please feel free to reread that science page.

So, what are flavonoids? Aren’t they the chemicals that make foods taste good?

Flavonoids are polyphenols found in plants. As their name suggests, they are often strongly flavoured, but flavonoids are not the only chemical compounds that create flavours in plants. As most of us know, flavonoids are also anti-oxidants. They are found in the tannins in tea and red wine. Caffeine is found in both coffee and chocolate. Anti-oxidants are beneficial to your health.

BUT! They are not the only things that create flavour! So, food that is strongly flavoured is not automatically good for you, by being full of flavonoids. Using this faulty logic, red cordial is full of flavonoids, and should be drunk on a daily basis. And we all know that red cordial is NOT a liquid to be consumed in large quantities…particularly if you are sensitive to the active chemicals and are fond of sleeping.

And, conversely, water is essential for good health, and yet it is perceived as having no flavour at all. Not only flavonoids are good for you. There is a whole spectrum of nutrients that humans should consume to stay healthy, and they don’t contain flavonoids.

So, I hope I have cleared up any confusion you may have been experiencing between flavour and flavonoids. Flavonoids are not to be mistaken for flavour, and visa-versa. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t rush off to have another piece of chocolate ...