餐具与食物的味道

According to the research of a University of Oxford team， our perception （感知） of how food tastes is influenced by tableware. Size， weight， shape and color of the tableware all have an effect on flavor. For example， cheese tastes saltier when eaten from a knife rather than a fork； while white spoons make yoghurt （酸奶） taste better. The study suggests the brain makes judgments on food even before it goes in the mouth.

More than 100 students took part in three experiments on the influence of weight， color and shape of tableware on taste.

They found that when the weight of the tableware conformed （与……相符） to expectations （预期；期望）， it had an impact on how the food tastes. For example， food tasted sweeter on the small spoons that are traditionally used to serve desserts.

Color was also an important factor —white yoghurt eaten from a white spoon was rated （评定；认为） sweeter than white yoghurt tasted on a black spoon.

Similarly， when people were offered cheese on a knife， spoon， fork or toothpick， they found that the cheese from a knife tasted saltiest.

In fact， how we experience food involves （涉及） taste， aroma （食物的香味）， and the vision. Even before we put food into our mouths our brains have made a judgment about it， which affects our overall experience.

Past research has shown that tableware can change our perception （感知） of food and drink， while the new research will probe into （探讨；调查） how the influences could help dieters （节食者） or restaurants. For example， people generally eat less when food is served on smaller plates.

根据牛津大学的一个研究小组的研究，我们对食物味道的感知受到了餐具的影响。餐具的大小，重量，形状和颜色都能影响到味觉。比如说，奶酪用刀去取会比用勺子去取感觉更咸；而用白色的勺子会让酸奶吃起来感觉味道更好。研究表明，大脑在食物到嘴里去之前就已经对味道做出了判断。

100多名学生参加了三个关于餐具重量、颜色和形状对味道的影响的实验。

他们发现，当餐具的重量与预期的相符时，会影响食物的口感。例如，使用传统上用来吃甜点的小勺子会让食物的味道感觉更甜。

颜色也是影响口感的一个重要因素——用白色的勺子吃白色的乳酪被认为比用黑色的勺子吃起来口感更甜。

相似的是，当给人们提供小刀，勺子，叉子或牙签时，他们会觉得用刀切下来的奶酪味道最咸。

事实上，我们对食物的体验涉及味觉，食物的香味和视觉。即使是在我们把食物放进嘴里之前，我们的大脑已经对它做出了的判断，从而影响我们整体的感觉。

之前的研究表明，餐具可以改变我们的食品和饮料的感知，而新的研究将去探究这种影响将如何给节食者或餐馆提供帮助。比如说，用更小的盘子盛放食物的时候，人们通常会吃得更少。