Why Humans Like Junk Food

Book excerpt: Our major drive to eat centers around pleasure. But without understanding the nature of food pleasure and perception, we can't make useful modifications to food. Why Humans Like Junk Food: Edible Pleasure Explainedexplores, for the first time, the physiological basis for "food pleasure" and why these cravings occur. Author Steven Witherly chronicles how chefs and food scientists make our favorite foods taste irresistible. He also simplifies and outlines the various food-related pleasure principles through the use of general observations, aphorisms, and theories. Witherly shares the reasons why we like everything from gourmet coffee to Southern fried chicken, culinary secrets of the top chefs, and the eight biggest cooking mistakes amateurs make. Without even opening a cookbook, Witherly can show you how to use ingredients that will add the most pleasure to your culinary experience. For the everyday cook, dietician, food scientist, or professional chef, this revolutionary guide can help you improve your cooking by explaining the physiological power of great-tasting food!