In good taste: The art of tasting foods, drink

The Flathead Valley is blessed with outstanding cooks and chefs. They range from professionals to household geniuses and make life worth living. My son is executive chef at The Springs in Whitefish and his abilities put the rest of us to shame.

But how do we taste and evaluate our foods? Recently a neighbor admitted that he had once served on the dairy product judging team at the University of Minnesota. Such competitive teams are common in the dairy states of the Midwest and the teams compete against others in a series of contests culminating in an international championship attended by about 40 four-person teams.

They judge dairy products such as milk, butter, cheese, ice cream and yogurt. Serving as judges are individuals who professionally grade dairy products in industry.

The key to good judging (and food appreciation) rests with the sense of smell and the occurrence of four types of sites on the tongue (taste buds). These areas respond to salt, sweet, sour and bitter. The contestant and judge start with the cleansing of the palate with saliva, often aided with a small slice of apple.

A small amount of the product is then placed in the mouth, warmed to body temperature and then graded for taste sensation.

It's a simple process but one that emphasizes the ability of humans to detect quality food products.

A recent description of this competitive procedure recently reminded this author of a similar procedure that he encountered in 1973 while he was involved with a three-month work period at Cambridge University in England. A friend invited me to dinner at one of the 17 colleges at Cambridge and I gladly accepted an invitation to the "High Table."

The main dining hall was filled with tables to seat the students. At the end of the hall, a smaller stage area was situated about one foot above the main floor (thus the name "High Table"). The faculty and guests sat at the High Table.

Following a delicious meal, the members of the High Table adjourned to a smaller room, also with a lengthy table, where we were to enjoy port wine and cheese for dessert. The wine was exotic. It had been purchased by the barrel from Portugal and then stored (aged) for 20 years in the wine cellar of the college. Each place setting had a small plate with thin slices of apple and small pieces of sliced cheddar cheese.

The wine bottles were circulated around the table in a clockwise circuit (The English love the formality of such routines).

The eating was simple. You took a slice of apple to "cleanse the palate" and this was followed by three or four swallows of wine sloshed over the taste buds.

This was followed by a small slice of cheese to blend with the port wine taste. Then the procedure was repeated over and over — apple, wine and cheese, apple, wine and cheese, etc.

Does this sound similar to judging dairy products in the United States?

It should, the principles are the same and it applies to all tasting of food and drink. I recommend it to all Montanans who enjoy the food flavors and our unique cuisine.

Dukelow is a resident of Somers.