Bad Mergentheim, Germany - Whether a dish tastes good depends not only on its ingredients and preparation, but also on other external factors.

"If the dish is too warm for the person eating it or if it has an aroma that he can't stand, it tastes different," said Juergen Dollase of Germany's culinary academy in Bad Mergentheim near Wuerzburg.

Whether the food tastes good also depends on its aroma, consistency and how it looks.

"If its appearance isn't pleasing or the food smells badly, it's difficult," said Dollase. The taste of the various ingredients of a dish intermingle in the mouth. "We perceive as pleasant things that are similar in texture and aroma," Dollase said.

This applies to simple dishes such as meatballs with mashed potatoes and to gourmet French cuisine.

The temperature of a dish also is important. If something is much too hot or cold, the person eating it has a problem identifying the flavours.

"Ideally, the flavours are perceptible when the food is at body temperature," said Dollase. As a rule, however, that is too demanding for humans because they have to use their senses to process too many flavours. (dpa)