Eating with your mouth open makes food taste better

Forget what your parents may have told you as a kid.

It seems there are scientific benefits to eating food with your mouth open.

A team of researchers from Oxford University have recently found that eating with your mouth open can actually make food taste better.

It seems chewing with our mouths open helps ‘release more volatile organic compounds,’ and these contribute to sense of smell and the overall eating experience.

While many might consider the habit a poor table manner, experimental psychologist professor Charles Spence says we should all be doing it.

This is because chewing with an open mouth helps more aromatic compounds reach the back of the nose – which kick-starts the olfactory sensory neurons and heightens our experience of eating.

So food will taste better as a result.

‘We’ve been doing it all wrong,’ professor Charles tells The Times.

‘Parents instil manners in their children, extolling the virtues of politely chewing with our mouths closed.

‘However, chewing open-mouthed may actually help to release more of the volatile organic compounds, contributing to our sense of smell and the overall perception.’

He also champions going in with our hands, too – rather than a knife and fork.

‘Our sense of touch is also vital in our perception of food on the palate,’ he adds.

‘The research shows that what you feel in the hand can change or bring out certain aspects of the tasting experience.’

‘Feeling the smooth, organic texture of the skin of an apple in our hand before biting into it is likely to contribute to a heightened appreciation of the juicy, sweet crunch of that first bite.’

You still might need to convince your grandparents though.

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