Chocolate orange

EUROPEAN scientists have found evidence that the way food and drink is served matters hugely in the perception of taste.

57 volunteers were asked to taste hot chocolate served in plastic cups of four different colours; white, cream, red and orange, all with white on the inside. The chocolate was identical in all samples, but the volunteers found the flavour was better when the drink was served in orange cups.

Betina Piqueras-Fiszman of the Polytechnic University of Valencia explained “The colour of the container where food and drink are served can enhance some attributes like taste and aroma.”

Previous research has found that the perception of flavour of lemons in soft drinks is boosted in yellow containers, pink drinks are perceived as being more sugary, and beverages with cold colours, like blue, seem more thirst-quenching than warm colours like red.