Did You Know Bright Light May Make Food Appear Tastier? Here’s What Study Says | NDTV Food

_{Lighting can affect the taste intensity with which you perceive food.}

Going out for a romantic date with your significant other can be quite a task. You want everything to be just perfect – right from what you’re wearing to the restaurant and the food. Turns out, a dimly-lit eatery may not be the ideal place to head for a dinner date, if your first priority is tasty food. According to a study, the overall taste perception of food at a restaurant is going to be better if the ambience is brightly lit.

Researchers from the Maastricht university in Nederlands found, “Guests exposed to the bright ambient light perceived the overall taste of a dish as more intense as opposed to guests exposed to the dim ambient light.” Thus, modifying the light in a restaurant affects not only the ambience of it but also the way the food tastes as per the study.

_{Brighter lighting may enhance the taste of the food according to the study.} 

This explains why chefs spend significant amounts of time in the plating of a dish, in order for it to appeal to multiple senses at once. Brightly-lit surroundings are crucial to the taste as well – not just for Instagram-worthy photos. The research by Dutch scientists also suggests that level of illumination in restaurant may have an impact on the perceived intensity of not just taste, but also smell and sound. Thus, restaurateurs can use this knowledge to create spaces that have multi-sensory appeal.

The findings of the study are also significant to alter diners’ food choices, for instance, strategies to decrease salt and sugar consumption among diners. There is significant room for exploration within the ambit of the study for restaurant owners across the globe.