Science Forums 2

[mynah]

Most people who have ever had a cold probably need no confirmation that smell is linked to taste. Why then, are there cases where smell and taste sensations are so discordant?

I recall a special meal where we were served Indian "temple bird" that smelled utterly divine - yet, disapointingly, was more or less tasteless. On the contrary, I can vouch for the fact that the durian fruit is worth seeking out above all others, in spite of its characteristic smell of onions, sweaty feet and the local gasworks. Oddest though, is that few foods smell better to me than a steak and kidney pie - yet the taste makes me feel instantly sick. (I eat almost anything else.)