TASTE MAKERS

From cost to cutler y to tablecloths: An industry insider reveals the surprising things that really make a meal delicious

AS it turns out, one of the least important elements of the way food tastes may be the food itself.

Never mind ingredients or preparation. So much of a diner’s experience of eating a dish boils down to what Charles Spence calls “everything else.”

Spence is the head of Oxford University’s Crossmodal Research Laboratory, and he’s made a career out of studying the often surprising relationship between food and the four senses beyond taste.

In his fascinating new book, “Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating” (Viking, out now), Spence explores the powerful hold our brains have over our taste buds.

“I think in a way we’re all skeptical,” Spence tells The Post. “No matter how many graphs and experiments I show someone, they’ll think, ‘I know I can taste what’s in the glass and on the plate, and it doesn’t make sense that the [restaurant’s] music and the paint color are changing the taste.’ ” But they are. Spence uses a variety of methods in his exploration of the food world. In one famous experiment, he had 200 volunteers munch on Pringles potato crisps while listening to various sounds through headphones. He discovered that the snack seemed fresher when accompanied by a loud crunching sound.

In another test, he and British modernist chef Heston Blumenthal served two sets of identical oysters: one in seashells accompanied by sounds of the seaside and a second in a petri dish accompanied by barnyard noises. The first group was rated 30 percent saltier.

Spence has consulted with chefs around the world on how to alter a dining experience, and he also works with large companies to improve a buyers’ perceptions of packaged foods. For example, changing packaging colors or typeface can alter perception of the contents inside, leading us to believe it tastes sweeter or more sour. Or sealing potato chips in a particularly crinkly-sounding bag can make the chips taste crispier.

On the following page, Spence lays out 12 ways your brain could be playing tricks on you during your next meal out.

Italian food consumed

in a restaurant with redand-white-checked tablecloths tastes more authentic.

Go for a pricey bottle.

Research shows that vino drinkers reported enjoying a wine more when told it was expensive.

Watch those menu adjectives!

In one experiment, meat described as “free range” was rated tastier than an identical hunk termed “factoryfarmed.”

Music has a huge effect on flavor perception,

with eaters rating pizza and pasta more highly while listening to Italian opera. (Justin Bieber’s “Baby” was one particular song that turned diners’ stomachs.)

Coffee tastes twice as intense

when drunk from a white mug.

Crunchy foods are key to enjoyment:

Chefs often add crispy elements, such as toasted seeds, over soggy salads or croutons to soups.

Perhaps revealing a preference for familiar things,

diners slightly favor foods that start with the same letters as their name. Charles likes chili.

Food orientation matters.

Angles should point away from the diner, and long, thin ingredients should stretch from the bottom left to the top right.

Wondering why many desserts are circular?

It’s because round food is perceived as tasting sweeter.

A dessert served on a white plate

was rated 10 to 15 percent sweeter than one served on a black dish.

Cutlery is crucial.

The heavier the spoons and forks, the higher the diners rated the food and the more they were willing to pay for it.

Smell is integral to taste,

and someone drinking beer straight from a bottle will miss out on flavor.