Secrets that will give you food for thought
WE’VE all got a serious case of food on the brain, according to this science-based documentary. Although I didn’t really need a biology lesson to tell me that one – reaching for a third chocolate Hob Nob was evidence enough.
Michael Mosley, a self-confessed nutrition nerd, and botanist James Wong, have been investigating the science story of the food on our plate, travelling the world and deconstructing meals in a food lab.
In this final episode, they explore the effect of food cravings – usually for fat, the most energy rich food of all. “We humans are peculiar. “We eat food that no other animals would eat,” says Michael.
Well I suppose I’ve never seen a koala bear eating a Krispy Kreme doughnut, or a cat snaffling a slice of chocolate cake.
But our brains are greedy, Michael explains. And it influences our diet by having the nerve to generate those cravings which send us to the fridge for something naughty.
To find out more, James heads off to Peru to discover the source of that food that has the most powerful hold over our brains – chocolate. But it’s cocoa butter that’s to blame.
And Michael is in Turkey where a unique cream called Kaymak, made from the milk of water buffalo, has a very similar effect on the tongue receptors.
Later Michael takes the “all in the name of research” opportunity to enjoy a cream tea, while James goes one further and has a coffee.
But it’s not all tasty treats. Back in Turkey, Michael confronts his own sense of revulsion by trying a local delicacy – sheep’s brain salad. And a chilli eating contest proves our brains have learned to love even the scariest of foods.