Taste What You're Missing

Whetherit’sagrilledcheesesandwichwithtomatosoup,maple-curedbaconsizzlinghotfromthepan,orasaltedcaramelcoatedindarkchocolate,youknowwhenfoodtastesgoodtoyou.Butyoumaynotknowtheamazingstorybehindwhyyoulovesomefoodsandcan’ttolerateothers.Now,inTasteWhatYou’reMissing,thefirstbookthatdemystifiesthescienceoftaste,you’lllearnhowyourindividualbiology,genetics,andbraincreateapersonalexperienceofeverythingyoutaste—andhowyoucanmakethemostofit.Aseasonedfooddevelopertowhomfoodcompaniesturnforhelpincreatingdeliciousnewproducts,BarbStuckeyrevealsthatmuchofwhatwethinkweknowabouthowtasteworksiswrong.Andthetruthismuchmorefascinating—forinstance,yourtongueisnotdividedintoquadrantsforsweet,sour,salt,andbitterandonlyafractionofwhatyoutastehappensinyourmouth.AsStuckeyexplainshowourfivesensesworktogethertoform“flavorperceptions,”shetellsintriguingstoriesaboutpeoplewhohavelostthesenseofsmellortasteandtheunexpectedwaystheirexperienceoffoodchangesasaresult.You’lllearnwhykids(andsomeadults)turnuptheirnosesatBrusselssproutsandbroccoli,howsaltmakesgrapefruitsweet,andwhyyoudrinkyourcoffeeblackwhileyourspouseloadsitwithcreamandsugar.Stuckeyalsoprovideseye-openingexperimentsinwhichyoucandiscoveryourunique“tastertype”andlearnwhyyoureactinstinctivelytocertainfoods,inparticularwhyyourresponsetobitternessisunique.You’llfindwaystoimproveyourabilitytodiscernflavors,detectingredients,anddevisetastecombinationsinyourownkitchenfordelectableresults.TasteWhatYou’reMissinggivescuriouseaters,FoodNetworkwatchers,kitchentinkerers,andarmchairTopChefstheunderstandingandlanguagetoimpressfriendsandfamilieswithinsiderknowledgeabouteverythingedible.WhatHaroldMcGeedidforthescienceofcookingBarbStuckeydoesforthescienceoftasteinTasteWhatYou’reMissing,acalorie-freewaytogetmorepleasurefromeverybite.