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Used to developing recipes for cancer-stricken taste buds, the couple behind a new free cookbook hope it will improve the taste of Covid patients.
Used to developing recipes for cancer-stricken taste buds, the couple behind a new free cookbook hope it will improve the taste of Covid patients.
“Extremely disgusting, like rotten sewage.” As the food reviews go on, it’s scathing. But according to food writer Ryan Riley, this is how meat, garlic, and onions can taste to people affected by prolonged Covid. She hopes her latest cookbook provides ample inspiration for better tasting alternatives.
Co-written with Kimberley Duke, Taste and flavor is for people who are experiencing changes in taste and smell as a result of the virus, which one study suggests could account for up to 41 percent of all cases. “Taste & Flavor had to be different because of Covid,” Riley said. “We had to flip what we knew about writing recipes.”
Co-writer Ryan Riley, photographed by Clare Winfield
As co-founders of Life Kitchen, a nonprofit cooking school for people whose tastes have been affected by cancer treatment, Riley and Duke have been experimenting with food flavors since 2018.
However, parosmia (a distorted sense of smell) is a symptom of Covid-19 and can make everyday foods like vegetables and coffee taste unpleasant. So Riley had to rethink the recipes from scratch.
“That’s what makes this book so unique,” he said. “We don’t just depend on garlic and onion, and all the typical flavor profiles.”
Co-writer Kimberley Duke, photographed by Clare Winfield
In search of alternatives, they consulted food scientists, who suggested combining the five elements of taste: aroma, umami, texture, layers, and food sensations of the trigeminal (the tingling sensation of spices) to create their meals.
Results include dishes ranging from fiery tomato soup with sesame seed butter toast, to pineapple tacos with red bell peppers and feta cheese.
Gillian Dixon, who caught Covid-19 in January 2020, was one of the first people to test the book. You have been experiencing anosmia (loss of smell) for almost a year.
“The recipes are absolutely brilliant,” said Dixon, who so far has focused on the cherry and almond tarts, and the canned lemon, feta and za’atar cakes from the book. “They really stimulate your palate.”
Taste & Flavor can be downloaded for free from lifekitchen.co.uk
Featured Image: A Baked Oatmeal Recipe From The Book: © Craig Robertson / Life Kitchen
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