GIVING FOODS EXTRA FLUFF MAKES THEM MORE SATISFYING WITHOUT THE ADDITION OF EXTRA CALORIES.

Giving foods extra fluff makes them more satisfying without the addition of extra calories. The oxygen bubbles trapped inside carry taste through the nasal cavities, creating a dual flavour experience on the tongue and at the back of the nose, where we also have taste buds. This is what makes eating bread such a consuming experience, and the reason it often tastes so good despite being so simple. In North America, more accurately be compared to the Asian version of al dente.

Q foods are pliable but not mushy. Chewing through Q begins with some initial bite to tear off a piece; it then feels fluffy in your mouth, eventually yielding into a springy gelatinous mass that is light but not insubstantial. Many savoury foods in Chinese and Japanese cuisines are valued for their Q qualities. Tripe — the first or second stomach of a cow — is a Q delicacy, as are fish balls, cartilage and beef tendon.

These foods might sound unpalatable to our North American palates, which have been trained by our tendency to throw tendon and cartilage away. Tripe, with its bland flavour and slightly spiky exterior, is seen as downright repulsive. But instead of categorizing these textures as strange and undesirable, we should be considering them to be an opportunity to expand our tastes and even reap some nutritional benefits in the meantime. Tripe, tendon and cartilage are all full of collagen, a protein shown to improve bone and joint health. Their Q consistency also encourages chewing, which prevents improper digestion and allows for greater nutrient absorption, according to a 2010 paper published by The Europe Food Information Council.

When trying new foods, it can be too easy to let our egos get in the way. After telling a group of Canadian tourists about how Johan Bakery in Tokyo serves perfect, fluffy baguettes with roe butter they rolled their eyes and said, “Yeah, maybe for Japan.” But the baguettes were better than any you might find in Paris, never mind in Canada.

Experiencing unlikely textures can be an uncomfortable, mindbending experience. But there’s something to be gained from the exposure to something new. We often dismiss texture when it comes to appreciating the flavour of food, but it’s a vital aspect of what we eat. When researchers at Duke University puréed and strained foods, they found adults were only able to identify 40.7 per cent of them.

Today, Q foods continue to be thrown away more than they are eaten, and fluffy textures are reserved for whipped cream and the odd chocolate mousse. We have a long way to go when it comes to expanding our textural palates. But our cuisine will improve if we do. While texture has been perfected in other parts of the world, North Americans have only just begun to understand its possibilities.

It’s time we catch up.