The Science of Flavor: Unlock the Secrets of Flavorful Cooking

by Stuart Farrimond

They say you eat with the eyes. But we now know that smell, texture, temperature, color and even atmosphere – down to the background music – influence how we perceive flavor.

As anyone who has lost their sense of taste will know, flavorless food is dull and monochrome - it is flavor that brings food into full technicolor life. Yet it's not always easy to make something tasty; the secrets to flavor can baffle chefs and scientists alike.

Food science expert Dr Stuart Farrimond explores major flavor categories such as salt, acid and heat (from chilies) and how they interact, and profiles all the major foods from individual fruit, veg, herbs and spices to the building blocks such as rice and wheat that give us stapes like bread, pasta, and noodles. With pairing notes for every ingredient, you'll soon be inventing new recipes.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published August 26, 2025

About the author

Stuart Farrimond was a British science communicator, food scientist for BBC's Inside the Factory, best-selling Sunday Times science author, and a brain tumor researcher.

Reviews

[Noelle Flavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another information-packed banger from DK’s “science of” series, which has more and more started delving into the world of flavor chemistry (Science of Spice was a game changer for me). If you’re somebody who wants to throw away the cookbooks and really understand why flavor works, this is a must.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and aptly described as not a textbook or a cookbook.