Aesthetics is the study of beauty and taste in nature. The word comes from the Greek word αισθητικός ( aisthetikos) referring to sensory perception and understanding or sensuous knowledge.
Culinary aesthetics is the art of the preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. Culinarians, people who work in this field are required to have knowledge of food science, nutrition and diet, and are responsible for preparing meals that are as pleasing to the eye as well as to the palate.
Gastronomy should be inspired with regionalism, spices, diversity/ contrast, anticipation, seduction, and decoration/ garnishes.Appearance, aroma, texture, flavor and taste are the major determiners of food acceptance and term the guideline in food preparation and service. Aroma, texture, flavor and taste operate most of the times in contact with the food. On the other hand appearance operates at a distance. Appearance as a definition is the visual quality of a food and is used to organize attributes such as color and consistency of size.
Marie Antoine Carême, the great French chef, gave the highest priority to appearance or presentation. He was an early practitioner and exponent of the elaborate style of cooking known as grande cuisine, the “high art” of French cooking. A memorable comment of his is: “The fine arts are five in number, namely: painting, sculpture, poetry, music, and architecture, the principal branch of the latter pastry”. Carême emphasized on the artful presentation of dishes and on the use of fresh ingredients. He was an expert in the execution of pièces montées , decorative pieces whose particular function was to “excite the appetite”. He believed all cooking should be decorative and made detailed drawings for a wide variety of dishes.
Although we think of our liking for a food as being the result of its flavor (gustatory and olfactory qualities) and maybe its texture or burn, a large literature exists showing that physical appearance is one of the great factors which contribute to our liking for a particular food. (see Zellner (1991) for a review) (Lyman, 1989, p. 97) .
The sight of food fires neurons in the hypothalamus. The eyes are the first place that must be convinced before a food is even tried.
When humans eat food they rarely eat one food item, but rather, eat a number of different foods in the context of a meal. In a meal, different foods are often presented sequentially, as different courses. Many times within a course, different foods are presented simultaneously either on different dishes or on one plate. (Monica Jimeneza, 2015)
The perceived weight of the elements within a composition is determined by the size, shape, color, location within the composition, and implied “directionality” of its elements. There’s considerable empirical evidence that balance influences the immediate and sustained perception of an artwork (by Locher 1996) as well as its aesthetic qualities. (Debra A. Zellner, 2010)
In conclusion, remember those magic words to treat them in your daily plate: balance - variety, colorful, fresh, size, aesthetic- architecture. Be the culinarian (culinary artist) of your kitchen and let spirit of creativity lead you to the world of flavors and bon appétit!
