Scented food: Fork emits aromas for flavours to savour

Your taste buds can differentiate between five sensations – salty, sour, sweet, bitter and umami. But there is so much more to food tasting than that, which is why half of tasting is in the smell. Created by food gadget company Molecule-R, the AromaFork lets users add a scent capsule to the fork – it could be anything from savoury flavours such as ginger and wasabi to sweet notes such as vanilla or chocolate – which then emits the smell as the person eats. 

‘The initial idea was to re-invent the traditional fork as an improved utensil that would trick people’s minds by liberating an intense flow of aromas,’ says Jonathan Coutu, president of Molecule-R Flavors. ‘But we soon realised that the AromaFork could also become the perfect educational tool to learn how to better appreciate food.’

The food industry is becoming increasingly experimental and experiential as diners demand more from their restaurant experience. We can imagine AromaFork being used by chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Wylie Dufresne to create bold meals themed around scent enhancements. For more on the latest food technology, read our Restaurant Tech market report.