Why does leftover pizza taste so good?
PHIL BLACK, OXFORD
A night in the fridge gives strong pizza flavours time to merge and mellow in a satisfying way. The pizza keeps its structure when cold, with the tomato layer preventing fat in the cheese topping from seeping into the dough base. Pizza temperature affects taste perception, with cold foods generally having less intense flavours than warm ones. At temperatures between 15 and 35°C, heat-sensitive channels in the tongue’s sweet and bitter taste receptors open wide, setting off a chain reaction to send strong signals to the brain. At lower temperatures the channels barely open and the signals are weaker. Salty and sour taste receptors are not affected by temperature in the same way and cold pizza can actually taste saltier. ED
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