NEUROGASTRONOMY - Book of the Month June 2026
"NEUROGASTRONOMY. How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why it Matters" is written by Gordon M. Shepherd. The author makes an excellent case for "neurogastronomy" as an important cross-disciplinary field that motivates a variety of imperatives for our health and well-being.
Shepherd begins Neurogastronomy with the mechanics of smell, particularly the way it stimulates the nose from the back of the mouth. As we eat, the brain conceptualizes smells as spatial patterns, and from these and the other senses it constructs the perception of flavor. Shepherd then considers the impact of the flavor system on contemporary social, behavioral, and medical issues. He analyzes flavor's engagement with the brain regions that control emotion, food preferences, and cravings.
Shepherd connects his research to trends in nutrition, dieting, and obesity, especially the challenges that many face in eating healthily. He concludes with human perceptions of smell and flavor and their relationship to the neural basis of consciousness. Everyone from casual diners and ardent foodies to wine critics, chefs, scholars, and researchers will delight in Shepherd's fascinating, scientific-gastronomic adventures.
Chapters:
Introduction: Retronasal Smell and the New Age of Flavor
Part I: Noses and Smells
The revolution in smell and flavor
Dogs, humans and retronasal smell
How the mouth fools the brain
The molecules of flavor
Part II: Making pictures of smells
Smell receptors for smell molecules
Forming a sensory image
Images of smell: an "aha" moment
A smell is like a face
Pointillist images of smell
Enchanting the image
Creating, learning and remembering smell
Part III: Creating flavor
Smell and flavor
Taste and flavor
Mouth-sense and flavor
Seeing and flavor
Hearing and flavor
The muscles and flavor
Putting it together: the human brain flavor system
Part IV: Why it matters
Flavor and emotions
Flavor and memory: reinterpreting Proust
Flavor and obesity
Decisions and the neuroeconomics of flavor and nutrition
Plasticity in the human brain flavor system
Smell, flavor and language
Smell, flavor and consciousness
Smell and flavor in human evolution
Why flavor matters
Reasons to read the book: If you are a wine lover you already know that it is a world of aromas and flavors. This book brings you closer to understanding aromas through smell and taste.
Where to find the book: The book is published in English and can be found on the Books Express website where it arrives on order in 2-3 weeks.
Carmina Nițescu
Winesday & Winesday App
Shepherd begins Neurogastronomy with the mechanics of smell, particularly the way it stimulates the nose from the back of the mouth. As we eat, the brain conceptualizes smells as spatial patterns, and from these and the other senses it constructs the perception of flavor. Shepherd then considers the impact of the flavor system on contemporary social, behavioral, and medical issues. He analyzes flavor's engagement with the brain regions that control emotion, food preferences, and cravings.
Shepherd connects his research to trends in nutrition, dieting, and obesity, especially the challenges that many face in eating healthily. He concludes with human perceptions of smell and flavor and their relationship to the neural basis of consciousness. Everyone from casual diners and ardent foodies to wine critics, chefs, scholars, and researchers will delight in Shepherd's fascinating, scientific-gastronomic adventures.
Chapters:
Introduction: Retronasal Smell and the New Age of Flavor
Part I: Noses and Smells
The revolution in smell and flavor
Dogs, humans and retronasal smell
How the mouth fools the brain
The molecules of flavor
Part II: Making pictures of smells
Smell receptors for smell molecules
Forming a sensory image
Images of smell: an "aha" moment
A smell is like a face
Pointillist images of smell
Enchanting the image
Creating, learning and remembering smell
Part III: Creating flavor
Smell and flavor
Taste and flavor
Mouth-sense and flavor
Seeing and flavor
Hearing and flavor
The muscles and flavor
Putting it together: the human brain flavor system
Part IV: Why it matters
Flavor and emotions
Flavor and memory: reinterpreting Proust
Flavor and obesity
Decisions and the neuroeconomics of flavor and nutrition
Plasticity in the human brain flavor system
Smell, flavor and language
Smell, flavor and consciousness
Smell and flavor in human evolution
Why flavor matters
Reasons to read the book: If you are a wine lover you already know that it is a world of aromas and flavors. This book brings you closer to understanding aromas through smell and taste.
Where to find the book: The book is published in English and can be found on the Books Express website where it arrives on order in 2-3 weeks.
Carmina Nițescu
Winesday & Winesday App