How to eat ice cream correctly

Scientists have developed a theory about the taste of ice cream

Sometimes the scientific world wrestles with issues of global significance: for example, it creates theories of the origin of the Universe or deciphers the human genetic code. Application scientists also tend to work on big problems, be it chip design or chemical synthesis. Representatives of the humanities are often denied the proud title of scientists, citing the inaccuracy of research methods in philology or history, but such activities as the analysis of ancient texts or historical studies can also bring undoubted benefits. But sometimes the subject of study becomes such problems that look like a pure mockery of high science.

As everyone probably remembers, the cat Matroskin in the popular children's cartoon was engaged in a practical study of the taste of a sausage sandwich. His opinion that the sausage should be on the bottom may have its reason (however, it is unknown whether the cartoon character hypothesis was tested in any scientific center). At the provincial New Zealand University of Massey, which, however, is more like an improved technical school, they began to investigate a similar anecdotal problem related to ice cream. University employee Kay McMath decided to figure out when this sweetness tastes better - if you lick it or, for example, bite off pieces of a briquette.

It is difficult to say what is the point of carefully considering this non-trivial scientific problem. Perhaps there will be some benefit for ice cream manufacturers. It is possible that advanced customers of confectionery cafes, having studied the issue, will follow a more effective strategy for absorbing ice cream. However, in at least one way this research task has an undoubted advantage over the problems of high science. Go figure, why do physicists chase particles around a collider, or what does observing the surroundings of black holes give people? But here ice cream is a clear and understandable subject for everyone, even preschoolers.

Ms. McMath formulated a whole theory about how to properly consume ice cream. These studies are based on studying the dependence of the taste of a product on its temperature. Usually this dessert is served almost straight from the freezer - very cold. And our taste buds on the tongue don't work very well in such extreme conditions. It is difficult to taste the taste of food that is too hot or too cold. Therefore, the taste of ice cream should be best recognized if it melts.

Based on these characteristics of our body, a teacher at Massey University came up with the assumption that those with a sweet tooth should lick ice cream rather than put large pieces in their mouths. With this absorption method, a thin layer of melted ice cream quickly heats up to the temperature of the human body and covers the maximum surface of the tongue. If, on the contrary, you bite off part of the ice cream, it will take some time for the ice cream to turn into liquid. At the same time, the lower temperature in the mouth remains longer. That, in fact, is the whole hypothesis about the taste of ice cream, creme brulee and other frozen sweets. At the same time, Kay McMath believes that more careful testing of this hypothesis will be required, although it should be noted that at first glance this mentality looks quite reasonable.

Mikhail MANSKOY