How various foods stack up at higher altitude, according to study

Preparation of food may require changes in time, temperature or recipe

Last updated: December 06, 2019 | 19:49

Malavika Kamaraju and Compiled by Christian Borbon, Digital Content Producer

2 MIN READ

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Tomato juice: Among the bestbehaved taste sensations at high altitudes.

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Salt: Perception is reduced by between 20 and 30 per cent. (For example, when boiling potatoes or pasta or blanching fresh vegetables, extra salt is added to make them “fit for on board consumption”, as it is called.)

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Table sugar: Perception of fruit’s real taste and [sweetness of] table sugar is reduced by between 15 and 20 per cent.

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Herbs: Aroma of herbs also diminishes. In contrast, the taste threshold of acids remains the same. Cardamom, lemon grass, curry flavours, maintain their profile at higher altitude.

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Cuisines: Some types of cuisines fare better up in the air. Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines, for example, with their liberal use of spices and roots have a stronger “flavour profile” as they encompass the umami flavour.

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Western and Middle European cuisines have a comparatively lesser flavour profile.

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Cream soups and sauces: Salt is added to almost all Western cream soups or sauces (except for tomatobased sauces like Marinara or basil pesto sauces). Proteins in a sauce reheat well due to the moisture.

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Umami: All flavours in this fifth taste sensation bandwidth hold up well. Soy sauce, seaweed, mushrooms of most kinds, green tea and vegetables such as carrots, peas, broccoli, ginger, tomato and sundried tomato, to name some.

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