Multi-Sensorial Gastronomy: The Future Of Flavor

‘Feeding the Senses’ is an interesting novelty in the field of food future. Before we’ve been talking about Philips’ food explorations and instant food installations, such as the Biotower and the food printer. The invention presented here is another step in the way we can think about food, this time focusing on ‘haute cuisine’. Feeding the Senses is a project from Philips’ design laboratory Design Probes, and combines the company’s central field of expertise (illumination), with the culinary art of the Spanish three Michelin stars chef Juan Mari Arzak. The project explores a completely new gastronomical experience. The sensual enjoyment of flavors, the appreciation of harmonies and the recognition of nuances, create the unique pleasure of the dining table.

“Designed to not only delight palates, but also evoke emotion and stimulate the senses, the three design concepts – Lunar Eclipse (bowl), Fama (long plate) and Bocado de Luz (serving plate) demonstrate how unobtrusive new functions can be incorporated into familiar objects to dynamically alter the sensory experience during a meal. The simple act of placing food on the plates or pouring liquid into the bowl triggers sensory stimuli and causes them to react.”

Feeding the Senses (check the animation at the website) is a form of multi-sensorial gastronomy. Philips Design has explored how the integration of light, conductive printing, selective fragrance diffusion, micro-vibration and a host of other integrations of sensory stimuli could affect the eating experience in subtle ways.