Do men and women experience taste and smell differently? What do apple trees have in common with humans? And what happens when you eat a meal in complete darkness?
Moved by a death in the family to recreate the dishes her mother prepared in her childhood home, former Wall Street Journal reporter Diane Fresquez embarked on a year-long journey to investigate the links between taste, memory and the molecular building blocks of what we eat, seeking out scientists and entrepreneurs who are trying to reveal the secrets of flavor.
In this weird and wonderful exploration of the world of sensory science, Fresquez meets a brewery owner who's developed a banana-flavored beer designed to appeal to young women, and an entrepreneur who won't rest until he develops the perfect mead, the ancient liquor considered the ancestor of all fermented drinks. She encounters a young mother and PhD student whose research shows that what a mother eats can influence the flavour of her breast milk, and a scientist in the Netherlands who researches flavor and memory at an Orwellian university lab called 'The Restaurant of the Future'. The Taste of Home will delight foodies and scientists alike.
Diane Fresquez is a food and arts journalist based in Brussels, Belgium. A former special correspondent to the Wall Street Journal and script reader for Handmade Films, HTV, Sky Television and other British media outlets, Diane now works for the Hunger Project, a non-profit seeking to end hunger and poverty by pioneering and advocating for the widespread adoption of sustainable, grassroots, women-centered strategies. Diane was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is a graduate of the University of New Mexico.