Mouthfeel, noun: The physical sensation of food in the mouth.
This has always struck us as a rather odd and inelegant word. Drop it in conversation among non-foodies, and you're likely to get a lot of blank looks and a few twitters!
Yet, it's also the most apt term for the concept we're trying to describe--literally the "feel" of the food in your "mouth."
There are two sides to mouthfeel. The first is the actual, tactile experience of the food in your mouth. It's the difference between chunky soup and a pureed soup, or something that's chewy and something that's crunchy.
The second facet is the perceived sensation. By this we mean what the tongue thinks it feels based on chemical properties or flavor combinations in the food, not what it actually feels. For instance, the way some beers taste creamy without any cream, or the way a pear can make your tongue feel fuzzy.
Mouthfeel is often linked with roundness in flavor, the taste element that ties all the individual flavors in a dish together. A well-rounded dish physically coats the palate (physical mouthfeel) while also stimulating several different areas of taste on the tongue (perceived mouthfeel).
Do you use this word when you talk about food?
Related: Word of Mouth: Moreish
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When I refer to mouthfeel I usually refer to it as texture. I've discovered that sometimes mouthfeel is as important to me than flavor. I know I like creamy things like polenta, custard, mashed potatoes, etc partly because of the way they feel when I eat them. My son doesn't like potatoes because to him they have a mealy mouthfeel.
view ah-ha's profile
One of the first times I used this word, a friend said, "What? Mouse Feel?" and mimed petting a small, delicate mouse. We all cracked up, and I just can't bring myself to use the real word anymore. Texture it is!
view squidlette's profile
same here. I say texture. Or I say that "my mouth feels". Something about the term is awkward.
view chusmabilly's profile
Texture is important to me. I can eat some bland if it has an interesting textures. It's also interesting when other people don't like something because of the textures.
Jellyfish for example is marinaded in sesame oil and soy sauce. My fiance should love the flavour of this dish. But because of the texture of jellyfish, he doesn't like it.
view buda's profile
Surely, collectively we can come up with a better term?
I prefer "texture" because sometimes the texture looks so icky to me, the food never gets to the "mouthfeel" stage.
But we need a term that is food specific - "tongue texture"?
view TaniaTingel's profile
"Mouthfeel"? It sounds like something out of 1984!
view Anokha's profile
I also simply say "texture". This smacks of inventing "foodie speak". It's similar to the usage of "umami" which is now all the rage when "meaty" or "savory" will do the trick just as well.
view Orchid64's profile