Bompas & Parr has worked with Sony to to create a ‘frequency flavour’ test of their own – changing the perceived taste of a dish in front of your eyes, simply by changing the frequency of music.
As part of the experiment, Bompas & Parr chefs played with low frequency sounds to change the perception of salt and umami in a ‘dish’.
Participants tucked into specially designed ‘Goat’s Cheesecake’ (Goat’s curd, lemon and salted crumb) which changed in flavour, leading them from savoury to sweet as the music changed to a high frequency sound.
Guests also tried the ‘Frequency Flavour Test with coffee’. The experiment, marked by changes in flavour, light and sound – initiates ‘transitional cleansing’ between courses.
The ‘Frequency Flavour’ test was showcased at the Sony Multi-room ‘Sonic Wonderland’ in partnership with culinary designers Bompas & Parr. The space explored the effect of sound on guests and how, through a series of sonic experiments, senses can be mixed to create new experiences.
These included investigations such as intensifying the effect of sugar by tricking the brain. For the dessert, high-pitched notes were played by piano music, these notes are associated with the taste of sucrose.
Alongside this, the colour pink which was prominent within the desert itself as well as the room lighting further intensified the perceived sweetness of sugar.
Sam Bompas of Bompas & Parr said, “We don’t just eat with our hands or mouths but with our senses. Changing the surroundings and music around us affects these resulting in a completely novel dining experience.”
