Texture.
It`s the crunch of the taco shell. The chewiness of crusty bread. It`s what makes a frosted walnut brownie more fun to eat than a plain one. Thanks to texture, a BLT sandwich is more interesting than grilled cheese or tuna fish.
Texture is a turn-on.
”People take it for granted,” said Julia Wesson, president of Palatex Inc., a food product consulting firm in New York City. ”They will talk about flavor more than texture. But if they reject a food, texture is usually the reason.”
By taking a closer look at this remote component of tasting, by understanding what it can contribute to our pleasure, cooks as well as diners can enhance the enjoyment of eating and create more interesting dishes and menus.
”The secret to successful recipe development is designing foods with many contrasts in texture as well as flavor,” said Wesson, in Chicago recently to conduct a sensory evaluation seminar on flavor and texture for Les Dames d`Escoffier, a professional women`s food organization.
How important is texture? It stimulates the appetite and makes eating more interesting. Take pizza, for example. There are many textures working together to create this enjoyable dish.
There`s the chewy crust; the softness from the tomato sauce; elasticity and richness from the cheese; crunch and coarseness from the onions, green peppers and mushrooms; and the grainy coarseness from the sausage.
Texture is a gut response. No one talks about their favorite foods in terms of texture. But they will reject soggy cornflakes, a mushy banana or overcooked pasta.
By definition, texture is the sensory manifestation of the structure of food. It involves how it feels in the mouth and how it looks.
When we look at a food, expectations come into play about how it should feel. Whipped cream should be silken. Chocolate must feel rich and soothing. It must melt easily-but not too fast. When foods fail to live up to those expectations, we eat less. Or none at all.
Texture falls into two categories, active and subtle. Active textures have lots of distinct contrasts and these foods require work. You have to chew more but the activity is part of the fun of eating corn chips with dip, munching M&M`s with peanuts, biting into an Oreo cookie or submarine sandwich. Subtle textures are more passive. They convey soothing, rich, luxurious feelings. Comfort foods fit into this category: cream cheese with lox, a baked potato buried under sour cream, chocolate frosting on devil`s food cake.
Instead of rousing the taste buds, these foods soothe. After a large meal with many courses, it is no wonder dessert may be a mousse or ice cream.
”In Mexico, it might be stewed fruit or flan,” explained Rick Bayless, the chef and co-owner of Frontera Grill, 445 N. Clark St. ”Because Mexican food has so many textural contrasts, dessert is not too important.”
He regards the taco as a prime example of that country`s love of texture. A taco offers crisp, soft, crumbly and chunky textures with it`s crisp corn shell, fried meat, soft beans, crisp greens and chunky salsa.
Unlike Mexican cooks who incorporate texture instinctively into their cooking, Bayless makes a conscious effort. Like most of us, he was reared on the typical soft American diet-roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy, applesauce and canned veggies.
He credits iceberg lettuce, the ”all crunch-no flavor” salad green of the fifties, for awakening us to texture.
America`s crunch crave, our love of pizza, stir-frys, grilled meats, pasta with marinara sauce, salad bars, is a recent phenomenon, according to Nancy Rodriquez, a professional sensory analyst from Oak Park. ”Up until the `50s, our diet was soft, bland, geriatric.
”Look at Thanksgiving dinner. It`s the quintessential mush meal. Gravy, mashed potatoes, dressing, cranberry sauce. Even the dessert, pumpkin pie, is soft.” She believes that the textureless cooking of the `40s and `50 mirrors what was going on in the country.
Food processing was in a boom stage. Cooking methods stressed moist heat techniques. The pressure cooker, stewing, commercial bakeries liberated the cook from the kitchen. When convenience arrived, texture departed.
The `50s was a turning point. It jerked our appetites and minds to a new direction. ”The interest in health food, raw veggies, Oriental cooking methods, grains and homebaked bread made us aware,” said Charlie Trotter, chef/owner of Charlie Trotter`s, 816 W. Armitage Ave.
So did the influx of ethnic influences, he said. ”French and Italian cooks made us aware of how important side dishes are. How greens and vegetables contribute variety, color and textural interest to a meal. How a simple dish such as pasta, if skillfully cooked, can be an interesting meal.” One of the salads he created for his restaurant features five types of greens, goat cheese and nuts.
With raw vegetables on the cocktail circuit, the Woodstock generation substituting granola for oatmeal, stir-fry practiced as an everyday cooking method, Americans have made progress in their texture education.
”Look at the American salad today,” Rodriguez said. ”It used to be iceberg lettuce, tomato and Thousand Island dressing. Now we get strips of carrot, squares of green pepper, grated cheese. Even water chestnuts. At McDonald`s.”
TRY THIS QUIZ, FIND OUT WHAT TURNS YOU ON What turns you on in food? The answers may help you discover your food textural personality. Find out with this quiz.
1-If you are dining alone, your evening meal consists of:
A. steak, crusty french bread and salad.
B. steak fajitas with the works, salsa and chips.
C. hot roast beef sandwich, mashed potatoes with gravy and whole kernel corn.
2-At a salad bar what do you chose to go with your lettuce:
A. crunchy veggies, croutons, sunflower seeds or nuts, bacon bits and sprouts.
B. marinated veggies, Chinese pea pods, artichokes, and tofu.
C. assorted veggies, cheese, tomato, creamy dressing.
3-You`ve just had a great day. You want a candy bar to reward yourself. You reach for:
A. Snickers bar.
B. the newest candy bar that combines chocolate chip cookies and a gooey center.
C. Hershey bar.
4-A typical breakfast cereal for you is:
A. crunchy cereal that doesn`t get soft.
B. combination cereal that includes fruits or nuts or a combination.
C. oatmeal or cornflakes.
5-You`ve been on a diet for a month. The first thing you want to eat is:
A. a submarine sandwich.
B. a slice of pizza.
C. a thick chocolate shake.
Conclusion:
If you have three or more answers of one letter, your texture personality might be:
A. You are assertive and direct. You want food you can sink your teeth into.
B. You are an outgoing, lively person who loves new experiences. You want a bite out of life.
C. You value security and comfort. Your favorite spot is a chair a bowl of vanilla ice cream. No rocky road for you.
Quiz developed by Julia Wesson and Holly Hart, Palatex Inc. New York.
