2020 Volume 53 Issue 4 Pages 246-254
We studied the effect of the traditional ingredient in Japanese cuisine, thin fried tofu, on enhancing the comprehensive palatability of a dish when added during preparation. The simmered radish strips with thin fried tofu showed a significantly higher VAS score for palatability compared to the dishes cooked without thin fried tofu. Questions to describe the feeling, such as "Does the taste compel you to pick up the food?" and "Is the taste used to eating?," showed high evaluation level. Interruption of olfactory senses by a nose clip confirmed that not only olfactory but also other senses contributed to the palatability. When thin fried tofu was replaced with fresh rapeseed oil, the latter improved the bitterness, sharp taste, and unpleasant smell peculiar to a radish. It enhanced the evaluation for the taste such as "taste has depth," "taste has thickness," and "the fragrance includes nice smell," indicating that it raised comprehensive palatability of radish strips. Hot rapeseed oil, which possesses an aroma similar to thin fried tofu, enhanced the evaluation to be similar to a congenial and friendly taste that we are accustomed to while eating.
