The Flavor Connection [Interactive]

Scientists link common flavor compounds across the world's favorite ingredients


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Julia Child famously said that fat carries flavor, but perhaps instead we should give thanks to 4-methylpentanoic acid. Unique combinations of such chemical compounds give foods their characteristic flavors. Science-minded chefs have gone so far as to suggest that seemingly incongruous ingredients—chocolate and blue cheese, for example—will taste great together as long as they have enough flavor compounds in common. Scientists recently put this hypothesis to the test by creating a flavor map, a variant of which we have reproduced here. Lines connect foods that have components in common; thick lines mean many components are shared. By comparing the flavor network with various recipe databases, the researchers conclude that chefs do tend to pair ingredients with shared flavor compounds—but only in Western cuisine. Dishes from a database of recipes from East Asia tend to combine ingredients with few overlapping flavors.

Michael Moyer is the editor in charge of physics and space coverage at Scientific American. Previously he spent eight years at Popular Science magazine, where he was the articles editor. He was awarded the 2005 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award for his article "Journey to the 10th Dimension," and has appeared on CBS, ABC, CNN, Fox and the Discovery Channel. He studied physics at the University of California at Berkeley and at Columbia University.

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Jan Willem Tulp is an independent data experience designer from The Netherlands. He designs creative data visualizations for a wide variety of clients. You can find his work at http://tulpinteractive.com.

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Scientific American Magazine Vol 309 Issue 3This article was originally published with the title “The Flavor Connection [Interactive]” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 309 No. 3 ()
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican092013-2WIZDw43AXJmmpy34zDj6v