Tips for enhancing the taste of food

If a food doesn't taste the way it once did, it might be because production methods have changed or because you senses of taste and smell have weakened. Here are some tips to compensate.

• Try using stronger flavours and more herbs and spices to compensate for reduced taste and smell, or just to enhance your sensory experiences.
• For extra flavour look to umami-rich foods like mushrooms, ripe tomatoes and ginger; any of these can add extra tang to a meal.
• It doesn't have to be complicated: you can create the taste with simple ingredients such as grated Parmesan cheese, or Worcestershire, soy or Thai fish sauce — all high in natural glutamates. Just a dash of ketchup can work wonders.
• Even people who have no sense of smell, a condition called anosmia, usually retain some basic taste sensations from their tongue and mouth. Adding pepper or other spices to food stimulates the nerve endings of the common chemical sense, and this can help in distinguishing other tastes.

• Despite its bad press, MSG is simply concentrated glutamate — the same substance found naturally in foods and produced in all our bodies — which is then stabilized with salt. But MSG contains only a third of the amount of sodium in table salt, so using it instead can reduce your salt intake. Plus, you don't need much — add around 2.5 grams (half a teaspoon) to 500 grams (one pound) of meat or to season four to six servings of vegetables.
• Most scientists now say there's no evidence to support health concerns. In many parts of Asia, cooks add a dash of MSG just as we might add salt or sugar.
• If your local grocery store doesn't carry it, visit a Chinese supermarket or buy it online.  Other concentrated food essences, extracts, bouillons or stock cubes can easily be used to enhance flavour when cooking rice or pasta, for instance. Or experiment with the vast choice of culinary herbs now readily available to stimulate your taste with more and varied sensations.

• The setting can make a big difference to your enjoyment of food. So set the table attractively and add pretty garnishes to your meals. Go for colourful foods and attractive combinations, or add a side-salad or some fancy bread. Try to make meals sociable — chat, take your time, savour every bite.
• If you live alone, invite a friend over for a meal occasionally — you could even test out new recipes on each other.