eating with your hands changes the taste of food making it unrecognizable

With certain foods you have the feeling that an illness has arrived: the hand continues to move forward and it is impossible to stop. While a salty crunchy nut or a nice cookie might start the chain, recent studies show that a lack of cutlery is actually the devil stopping you from reaching for the treats.

A study published in the Journal of Retailing found that people with high self-control perceived food as more pleasant after touching it compared to when they ate it with cutlery. They also tended to eat more with their hands, whatever that food was.

People with strong self-control in this case meant those who know how to resist tasty food and monitor what and how much they eat.

The study’s author, Adriana Madzharov, divided 45 students into two groups. One half ate the Munster cheese cubes with a toothpick, the other half used their hands. Before eating, both groups thought equally about Munster cheese. However, after eating it, those opinions changed. Most of those who ate with their hands found the cheese tastier and more appetizing than the group who ate the cheese with a toothpick, MindBodyGreen reports.

Eat with your hands and the food looks much more appetizing! Photo: Dean Drobot/Shutterstock

READ ALSO: “When I eat, I writhe in pain.” How does a woman who neither eat nor drink live?

While people with low self-control experienced no changes, regardless of whether they touched the cheese or not. “Our results show that in people who habitually monitor their diet, direct contact with food triggers a sensory response that makes food more desirable and attractive,” Madzharov said.

This experiment could explain why eating with your hands is the norm in so many countries. Below are eight countries where you use your hands to eat.

Eating with bare hands is a common practice in India. According to Ayurveda, food must be carefully prepared before consumption to achieve the right balance between the three dosha (element) between. According to Ayurvedic writings, each finger represents one of the five elements: the thumb represents space, the index finger represents air, the middle finger represents fire, the ring finger represents water and the little finger represents earth. According to popular opinion, when eating with your hands, all fingers should be together, because this makes the food taste better.

2024-01-22 10:00:00
eating-with-your-hands-changes-the-taste-of-food-making-it-unrecognizable