A taste of Kandinsky: assessing the influence of the artistic visual presentation of food on the dining experience

Flavour

Charles Spence¹  Elia Gatti¹  Carlos Velasco¹  Charles Michel¹ 

[1] Crossmodal Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3UD, Oxford, UK

关键词: Plating;    Experience;    Multisensory;    Perception;    Art;    Food;   

Others  :  805525
DOI  :  10.1186/2044-7248-3-7

 received in 2014-01-30, accepted in 2014-05-02,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Researchers have demonstrated that a variety of visual factors, such as the colour and balance of the elements on a plate, can influence a diner’s perception of, and response to, food. Here, we report on a study designed to assess whether placing the culinary elements of a dish in an art-inspired manner would modify the diner’s expectations and hence their experience of food. The dish, a salad, was arranged in one of three different presentations: One simply plated (with all of the elements of the salad tossed together), another with the elements arranged to look like one of Kandinsky’s paintings, and a third arrangement in which the elements were organized in a neat (but non-artistic) manner. The participants answered two questionnaires, one presented prior to and the other after eating the dish, to evaluate their expectations and actual sensory experience.

Results

Prior to consumption, the art-inspired presentation resulted in the food being considered as more artistic, more complex, and more liked than either of the other presentations. The participants were also willing to pay more for the Kandinsky-inspired plating. Interestingly, after consumption, the results revealed higher tastiness ratings for the art-inspired presentation.

Conclusions

These results support the idea that presenting food in an aesthetically pleasing manner can enhance the experience of a dish. In particular, the use of artistic (visual) influences can enhance a diner’s rating of the flavour of a dish. These results are consistent with previous findings, suggesting that visual display of a food can influence both a person’s expectations and their subsequent experience of a dish, and with the common assumption that we eat with our eyes first.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Michel et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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