Is it the plate or is it the food? Assessing the influence of the color (black or white) and shape of the plate on the perception of the food placed on it

By Betina Piqueras-Fiszman, J. Alcaide, Elena Roura, Charles Spence. 2012

255 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract Our perception of food is affected by the sensory properties of the food itself, together with our expectations about the food and other contextual factors. The latter are especially relevant in the restaurant setting, where appearance factors, such as the presentation of the food on the plates can dramatically affect food liking and consumption. However, to date, not much emphasis has been placed on the effect of the appearance of the accessories on our perception of food. The aims of the present study were therefore to test the extent to which the appearance properties of the plate influence the taste/flavor experiences of the food served on it. Specifically, we investigated the influence of the color (black or white) and shape of the plate on the perception of flavor intensity, sweetness, quality, and liking for identical strawberry mousse desserts. The results demonstrated that while the color of the plate exerted a significant influence on people’s perception of the food, the shape of the plate did not. In particular, when the mousse was served from a white plate, it was perceived as significantly more intense and sweeter, and was also liked more. These results therefore demonstrate the importance of the color (if not the shape) of the plate on people’s perception of food.

Subfields: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ff058153bd76a64f0431c2ab9cf84ffee6b0321a

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In Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

In Food Science

In Nutrition and Dietetics

Citations in the corpus

The Influence of the Color of the Cup on Consumers' Perception of a Hot Beverage (2012, background): “…that the color of the plate or bowl can also influence a consumer’s perception of the food (from popcorn to strawberry mousse; see Harrar et al. 2011; Piqueras-Fiszman et al. 2012a; though see Yenket et al. 2007, for a null effect of color on the tactile perception of different fabrics).”
A taste of Kandinsky: assessing the influence of the artistic visual presentation of food on the dining experience (2014, unknown): “These include, amongst other things, the presence of other people [8], the atmosphere or the environment in which the food is consumed [9,10], the cutlery with which we happen to be eating [11,12], and the plateware from which we are eating [13-15].”
Plate shape and colour interact to influence taste and quality judgments (2013, methodology): “[27] and the current study might be explained by these contrast differences.”