Audience – Secondary and Post-Secondary students

Topic – Flavor and Taste

Student Level – 1^stsemester/1^stclass

Time Required – 1 hr. listening / 1-2 hr. assignment/ 1 hour discussion

Assessment Value – To Be Determined by instructor.  Extra credit and or part of overall grade

Additional materials: The Building Blocks of Flavor PowerPoint; Supertaster article

Objectives:  Upon completing this lesson students will be able to:

• Define the term flavorist. Explain the difference between taste and flavor.
• Describe the five tastes found on the tongue.
• Explain the term umami and give examples of foods that produce an umami flavor profile.
• Determine if you are a super taster and analyze why you are a super taster. 
• Taste different foods and beverages and analyze and evaluate the different tastes that make up the nuances and depth of flavor.
• Write an essay, utilizing proper grammar and sentence structure while describing what was the main idea of the podcast.
• Read a recipe and based on the ingredients determine beforehand what the flavors and taste of the final product will be and explain if the recipe will produce multiple layers of flavor based on the recipe’s procedure.

Part 1: Student listens to podcast – (1 hour)

Listen to the following Podcast and determine the main points of the subject. Think about these questions.

• What is the podcast about?
• What is the main theme?
• Would you like to explore this field as a career? Why or Why not?
• Does the speaker make his/her points clear so that you can understand what they are trying to say?

Part 2: Students answers the following questions in writing: (1-2 hours)

Write an essay of a minimum of two pages that answers the following questions. The essay should be written free of grammatical mistakes, double spaced, font size 12, New Times Roman or Calibri. 

• What experience does Chef Dolf DeRovira have to make him an expert on flavor and taste (include his present position).
• What is the main theme of this Podcast?
• What is a flavorist and why is their job important?Name a company where by a flavorist would be an integral part of the company.
• Describe the five tastes on our tongue and explain the fifth taste: Umami
• Take the Super Taster test and describe what you found out.
• Eat a meal in a quick service restaurant and describe all the types of tastes that are combined to give you sensory pleasure. 
• Hold your nose, drink a few sips of a carbonated beverage, then drink it again without holding your nose and describe what is the difference.
• Based on the recipes give describe the flavor and tastes that will be solicited by the ingredients and procedure.Which recipe will produce the most complex flavors and why?
• Analyze the recipes given out in class and based on the ingredients and procedure evaluate and determine if the recipe will have multiple layers of flavor or will there just be a simple flavor. (use the senses of the tongue and think about how the recipe will solicit various sense responses. 

Part 3 – Discussion (1 hour)

Open a discussion in class or on a Webinar or Zoom class to discuss the nine questions listed above.  Use the time to explore student’s results in the super taster test, the meal teste, and the beverage taste and the recipe analysis. 

Assessment Options

• Quiz on Flavor PowerPoint
• Essay to answer the 9 questions
• Participation grade in discussion

Click here for an example of the Essay grading rubric.