Here’s why plane food always tastes bad

IT is universally agreed that plane food doesn’t taste great – but do you know why?

It turns out, it might not be the chef’s fault, but your taste buds’ fault instead.

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The air on planes is extremely dry, which can dry out your nasal passages and make your taste buds less perceptive.

Think about the last time you had a cold – when your sense of smell is weakened, so is your sense of taste.

That’s what happens when your nose dries out on a plane and then you eat the inflight meal, so the food doesn’t taste that good.

On top of that, the low cabin pressure decreases the levels of oxygen in your blood.

That means the part of your nervous system that responds to smells becomes less sensitive, making your sense of smell even worse.

However, there is a way that you can make your plane food more palatable.

An Oxford professor has revealed that wearing noise-cancelling headphones while eating can actually make your food taste better.

Professor Charles Spence, an expert on taste and food, said the noise of the engine on a plane can make food taste more bitter by up to 10 per cent.

He told the Telegraph: “Donning a pair of noise-cancelling headphones could actually be one of the simplest ways in which to make food and drink taste better at altitude.

“The lower cabin pressure, dry cabin air and loud engine noise all contribute to our inability to taste and smell food and drink.”

So drowning out the noise with a pair of headphones can make your meal more enjoyable.

A flight attendant recently revealed what a passenger’s drinks order says about them as a person.

These are the five drinks you should never order on a flight – and the one that you should.

And a flight attendant has revealed how you can get extra drinks on the plane.

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