Is Texture The New Taste? Why Mouthfeel Matters Right Now + Expert Cooking Tips

On a scale of one to absolutely essential, how important to you is food texture? Perhaps there's a certain snack that makes you shudder—maybe it's chewy, tough, and uncomfortable to eat. Or maybe there's a consistency you can't get enough of, something you look forward to sinking your teeth into. Maybe you're indifferent, one way or the other.

For those struggling with their sense of smell and taste due to COVID-19, though, we couldn't help but notice a trend towards texture—anecdotal, of course, but an uncanny pattern nonetheless. Not everybody who experiences this symptom has the exact same food affinities (or aversions); everyone has different food preferences, after all.

The point is, there's a significant number of people relying on texture to compensate for other sensory signals—which makes us wonder if they'll continue to reach for foods based on mouthfeel. 

We should note that many people have had strong feelings about food texture, long before COVID—some shudder at a plate full of fluffy scrambled eggs or the slime oozing from a slice of okra; others aren't bothered.

The why largely remains a mystery within the scientific community, but many experts believe it has to do with memories. You may have had a certain experience with food when you were young, whether it's burning your tongue or watching a family member respond to food in a certain way that left you with—for lack of a better term—a bad taste in your mouth. Then when 10, 20, 30 years go by, you forget the experience and can't explain the repulsion.

Of course, the flip side can happen with textures you gravitate toward. Say, if you loved digging your teeth into a certain snack when you were a baby, that crunch can stimulate your brain in a familiar, positive way as you age. 

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large portion of people have faced loss of smell, a condition called anosmia. Research has shown that 80% of those with acute COVID experience this symptom1, and another recent study found people can still lack a sense of smell for up to five months after infection. Some COVID patients have also experienced parosmia, where they experience a distorted—often unpleasant—sense of smell. And a small percentage of people still do not have their senses of smell and taste back—which is why the CDC included these two sense problems among their list of long-term effects of COVID-192.

If you've experienced these symptoms firsthand, or have spoken to anyone who has, they might have told you: Eating can be unenjoyable, sometimes even anxiety-provoking. According to Yusim, this happens because your sense of smell is intimately connected to your mood. In fact, research has shown that loss of smell is a significant risk factor for anxiety and depression3: "People who have a worse sense of smell are more likely to experience depression, and people [with depression] are more likely to have a worse sense of smell," she explains. 

And according to Uma Naidoo, M.D.—Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist, professional chef, nutrition specialist, and author of This Is Your Brain on Food—smells run through your nose and directly to the parts of your brain meant for processing emotion and memory4, which is why what you eat is largely determined by memories you want to "recreate."

Smell and taste are intimately connected: "The way you actually perceive flavor isn't from the taste; it's from the smell," says Yusim. So it makes sense that in the absence of those two senses, many people might resort to texture—not only to differentiate between foods they like and don't like but also to stimulate the brain during an eating experience.

There's no research yet to directly back up the claim, but compensating with other senses is not a new phenomenon: Think about those with visual impairments, for example, who tend to develop a more heightened sense of smell, taste, hearing, or touch.

Before diving into these tips: If you're suffering from parosmia (aka misperceiving odors) and have trouble keeping food down, experts recommend5 you stick to a blander menu, with items like rice, plain yogurt, steamed vegetables, and toasted bread. 

"Crunchy textures can stimulate chewing and be more interesting," says Naidoo. "Foods like carrots or a handful of almonds or hazelnuts are both brain-healthy options." (Because why not optimize brain health while you're at it?) 

You may not think twice about it, but top chefs adhere to this tip all the time: By incorporating a variety of textures in a dish, you can make the eating experience way more intriguing. "Something soft on the plate, cooked and warm; something chunky that's fresh, crispy, and juicy; something fatty that melts in your mouth. All of these different components: That's what makes a perfect meal," notes Davar. "It's one of the tricks to feeling satisfied."