- What does blue taste like?
- Let's talk about that.
(upbeat music)
Good Mythical Morning.
- Today we're gonna learn all about food science
by tasting colors.
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- Okay Rhett, turn on the science part of your tongue
'cause we're about to taste some colors.
It's time for, they say color can affect the taste of food.
So let's find out if that's false or true.
By the way, do you spell color with a U?
- I don't 'cause I'm an American.
- Okay, according to scientific research
color is the single most important sensory cue
when it comes to setting people's expectations
about what their food will taste like.
Changing the color of food can create
a dramatic impact on it's taste.
- So today we're gonna take a series of scientific tests
to determine how much of an impact color has on food
and in doing so, we're going to determine
if color does in fact have a taste.
- Let's get to it!
(twinkly music)
- [Instructor] Okay, this first test is based on
a 2015 experiment by London chef Jozef Youssef.
- Love his work.
- Jozef Youssef.
- Yep. - Who's goal
was to determine if we have a preconceived notion
about what colors we attach to certain flavor profiles.
- I bet we do.
- [Instructor] Before you are four different colored
and flavored puddings.
I'm going to prompt you to taste them in a specific order
based on your own personal guesses.
- Okay.
- [Instructor] You must eat the entire
spoonful of each pudding.
- Just so we're in the right frame of mind,
we're not gonna do this like our typical games
where we're like is there reverse psychology?
Are you trying to trick us?
- This is legit. - This is like
we're going to a university setting
and they said Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Neal
we need you just be as normal as possible
so we can get the best data.
- Correct. - So we're gonna be
super normal this whole episode.
- There are no tricks. - Do I get paid in cash?
- This is my normal voice.
- Do I get paid in dollars or euros?
- [Instructor] Okay.
- Do I think of plasma?
- [Instructor] Ready?
- Yes.
- [Instructor] First, I want you to taste the salty pudding.
- Salty pudding?
Okay and again no trickery here.
We're going with our guts.
We should go at the same time, so do a three, two, one.
Salty?
- [Instructor] Here we go.
Three, two, one.
- I think this white one, oh you went with the red one?
- Yeah.
- Why do you think red is salty?
- I don't know, I'm not thinking about--
- Just gut? - I'm not thinking, like.
Salt is white, which is what you did. (chuckles)
No, I'm just kidding.
I just said which one said salt to me
and I went with the red.
- [Instructor] Okay, remember you've picked different ones
so consume the whole thing but don't give any indication
as to what the flavor profile is.
- Link is giving me an indication of something.
But I'm being completely normal.
- [Instructor] Okay.
Next I need you to choose the bitter one.
- Okay, bitter.
What would be bitter?
Okay, I'm ready, you ready?
- Yeah.
- [Instructor] Three, two, one.
- See I think the red one's bitter.
I can't articulate why.
I don't know, isn't blood bitter?
- My blood don't look like that.
Unless I've had a lot of fast food.
- Do you know why you picked green?
- I'm not trying to think of a
I'm not trying to make a logical connection in my mind.
Like green looks like this plant that might be bitter
I'm just like, looking at it
and just seeing which one
seems bitter. - Just going to your psyche.
- Yeah.
- Three, two.
So now we both tasted the red.
You having some trouble?
- No I'm normal.
- Okay you're making me a little scared to try the green.
- I'm so normal right now.
- [Instructor] I need you to choose the sour one.
- [Link] Oh see this is, all right, I'm ready.
- [Instructor] Three, two, one.
- The green one is obviously sour because like you said
I'm thinking like sour apple type thing.
Oh my goodness.
(Link exclaims)
Did spit just fly out of my mouth?
'Cause, oh gosh.
- That a little sour?
(Link exclaims)
- [Instructor] Okay, the last one, the sweet one.
Here we go, three, two, one.
- Yeah, just the normal.
- Oh my goodness.
- Now we're both tasting this so we can talk about it.
- That's bitter.
- [Link] That's bitter and that's bad.
- That's real bitter.
- We both tasted all of them and all of them were bad.
- [Instructor] It's really interesting how you did this
because in his test, 75% of the guests
matched the color to the flavor that the chef intended
proving that most of us do associate
a certain color with a certain flavor profile.
Now Link, you kind of did it
on the first one. - I was right about salty.
- [Instructor] Yeah you were right about salty
and you were right about sour as well.
- Right is a relative term.
- [Instructor] Well yes but the point was--
- More sheep like would be another way to say it.
Like the masses, like 75% of all people.
- [Instructor] Okay so I guess we've proven
in this very small test that that's not true.
But usually people associate a certain color
with a certain flavor profile.
- I didn't do any of them right.
- So red is sweet? - Not one.
- [Instructor] Correct, you didn't do any of them right.
- Yeah I gotta eat some more of this
to get that other taste
out of my mouth. - That red is good though.
- Red is sweet, gotta remember that.
So I can be a normal human.
(twinkly music)
- [Instructor] Okay so this next taste test--
- Pretty. - Was conducted
by color expert D.D. Williamson.
- Love her work.
- [Instructor] On two dozen students aged 16 to 18.
They were given three different drinks
of different colors and asked to describe the flavor.
Before you are seven different colored drinks
let's see if you can identify their flavor in a speed round.
Please taste each drink and immediately blurt out
what flavor you think it is.
We're going to start with the red drink in
three, two, one.
- Cherry.
- Vanilla.
- [Instructor] Pink.
- Lime.
- I'd say it's a citrus but it's--
- Grapefruit.
- Pomelo.
- [Instructor] Blue.
(Link exclaims)
- [Link] What is this?
- Cherry.
- No, it's medicine.
Generic medicine.
- Like Cherry medicine. - Yellow.
- Mouthwash.
- Mint.
- [Instructor] Purple.
- Now I can't taste anything.
- Watermelon?
- The color really does throw me off.
It is a fruit.
Abstain. - It is a fruit.
- [Instructor] Orange.
- It's very subtle, very subtle.
Maybe a teeny bit of orange, I know it's orange.
- I can't taste anything.
I've lost the ability to taste, you've killed my tongue.
I can't, I don't have a guess or a taste anymore.
- Maybe it's nothing, maybe that's what it is.
- [Link] Flavorless.
- [Instructor] Green.
- Pine. - Cinnamon.
- Oh, yep, that's cinnamon. (laughs)
- Pine?
See, what'd I say, pine 'cause it's green.
- Did you close your eyes? - Okay.
- Did you not look at the colors?
- [Instructor] So the results of the actual test
reinforced many scientific studies that have consistently
shown consumers have strong, maybe even unconscious
associations between flavors and colors.
So let's go through what you guys did.
The red was vanilla, as Rhett guessed.
It's not cherry.
The pink was orange but you both were in the same area.
- Yeah. - Yeah, okay.
- [Instructor] The blue was almond.
- That's tough.
- What?
Oh, yeah, it's got like a, I would've called it hazelnut
like a hazelnut flavor to your coffee.
What did we say it was?
- [Instructor] You said cherry
and Link said generic medicine.
- I stand by that.
- [Instructor] The yellow was mint
and you both were in the right area there.
- That was strong. - Yeah.
- [Instructor] The purple was apple.
- Apple?
Oh yeah.
- Oh yeah, like sour, like green apple.
- [Instructor] The orange was cranberry.
- Oh that should be obvious.
Too subtle, cranberry is usually, you know.
- Too subtle.
- [Instructor] And the green was cinnamon.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Or pine. (laughs)
- No it makes it tough, the color.
Color is a big powerful thing.
- Well, and I mean I think what we just learned
is that you're a little bit more susceptible to it.
You said that this was cherry and that this was pine
and look at the colors of them, I mean.
- Yeah this experiment killed my ability
to actually taste or guess.
(twinkly music)
- [Instructor] Does the color of beef
affect the taste of beef?
Before you are three different colored beefs.
You're gonna try the cooked version of each beef
and see if you can match it to it's raw color.
- Okay so I see, it's pink. - No it's sort of dark.
It's very hard to see that on camera
but to the human eye right now, they get darker this way.
- [Link] Okay.
- So we're trying to match the taste?
- [Instructor] Correct.
- So what's your preconceived notion here?
- I don't have any idea.
(both laugh)
I don't know. - Yeah.
- I've never thought about this.
- I mean if you were buying these
which one would you buy?
Just based on looks. - Well.
Well I would think that like--
- I'd think that one had more fat.
That was why it was lighter.
- This is almost pork, right?
- But the dark, let's try this one.
This one looks like sausage.
I have to think that it's lighter
because of the fat content is higher.
- [Rhett] And it cooked down more.
- Yeah, but it behind it and push it forward.
So we agree on this, now we're down to this.
- These are pretty close
and if we just go by the color that they are when cooked.
- This is darker.
- Then we just do this.
- [Instructor] What do you think about the quality
of the different colored meats that you see?
- I would go with the middle one.
The most bright red one.
- This is my favorite. - So--
- This is my favorite flavor.
- Okay, well your taste agrees with my eyes.
- Tasting them again, that's the best flavor I think.
- [Instructor] So the least red should be plate number two
which I believe is correct.
- Plate number two, yes.
Least red.
- [Instructor] Followed by plate number one.
- Yes. - Oh yeah!
- Yes!
- [Instructor] And plate number three.
- Yeah so we were right.
- We got them right.
The highest quality-- - We got the quality.
- So the highest quality meat, is it the darkest?
- So according to the USCA-- - We think it's two.
- [Instructor] Fresh ground beef starts off
at a purplish color, once exposed to air
the meat turns a bright cherry red color.
That means the optimum surface color
for fresh beef is cherry red.
The more time that passes, it'll cause the meat to fade
to less appealing colors.
But this does not mean the meat has gone bad.
So when you're shopping for your beef
you do always wanna look for the bright cherry red color
but if it's a darker color, it doesn't have anything to do
with the quality of the meat per se
just how long it's been sitting out.
- So which was the best one?
- [Instructor] The freshest one is the one in the middle.
The bright cherry red color.
- Yeah I do think that that tasted better
but you know what?
You like meat that's been sitting out for a long time.
- As long as it's got fat in it.
(Rhett laughs)
(twinkly music)
- [Instructor] So the previous tests have shown us
the science behind how color affects the taste of food.
- We've discovered so much.
- Using what you've learned
let's see if you can straight up taste colors.
- Okay. (Link scoffs)
- [Instructor] Put your blindfolds on.
- Yeah I think I can.
- I think I can too. - I want you each to tell me
what color M&M you think you're eating.
Starting with the first one in three, two, one.
- Oh!
Definitely is an M&M.
- Yellow.
- Blue.
- [Instructor] It was blue.
(Rhett laughs)
- What'd you taste?
- I tasted blue.
- I tasted yellow.
- [Instructor] All right, let's see that next M&M.
Okay and eat.
- Oh thank you.
Definitely another M&M.
- That's yellow.
- Nope, orange.
- [Instructor] That was orange.
- No!
You can do it man.
- Yeah.
- [Instructor] Okay, let's see the next one.
And eat.
- Oh thank you.
Okay this one definitely tastes different.
- No that one is the yellow one now.
- You're right, yellow.
- [Instructor] Red.
(Rhett laughs)
- Oh man!
- [Instructor] Next.
And eat.
- Oh, whoa, that tastes very different.
Green.
- It tasted what I thought was the last one
but this is it, this is yellow.
- [Instructor] Brown.
- Oh. - Oh.
No that was different.
- Brown is actually mostly yellow.
- [Instructor] All right let's see the next one.
Okay.
- They are different but I think
it's the peanut I'm tasting different.
I do think that is yellow.
- Green.
- [Instructor] It's green.
(Rhett laughs and claps)
- Man, Link you've got a super power.
- [Instructor] Okay this is the last one.
- [Rhett] What other colors are there?
- [Instructor] And let's go.
- Orange.
- Yellow.
- [Instructor] It's yellow!
(Rhett laughs)
- Dude, how!
Hold on, you got four out of six right, right?
- [Narrator] Yeah.
- I'm a little disappointed I didn't get all of them
but yeah, I can taste colors.
(crew laughs)
- Dang, we need to set up
a state fair little sideshow thing.
- That'd be great.
People bring their foods to me.
I'll just be blindfolded and just be fed stuff.
- Man. - That'd be great.
- That could be a back up career, for you.
- We've learned so much.
- Link's got a special power, get the red beef.
- Subscribe and click that bell.
- That's right, you know what time it is.
- This is Mikey and Kara from Knoxville, Tennessee
and it's time to spin the wheel of mythicality!
With a tangy burn.
(Rhett laughs)
Click the top link to watch us compare dyed and undyed foods
in Good Mythical More.
- And to find out where the wheel of mythicality
is gonna land, go with the flow.
Get out new neon accessories now at mythical.com.