Airplane Food: It's All About the Altitude

Following up on our airline food post last week, I came across an article on a company called Air Chef that provides catering services to private (not commercial) airlines. The article mentions some additional challenges that cooks and chefs face when preparing meals for a flight, notably the fact that food simply tastes different on an airplane at high altitudes:

"There are several challenges to preparing food that will ascend to nearly eight miles above the earth, [chef Paul] Higgins said. For starters, the pressure in the cabin has an effect on the way the human body interprets the taste and on the chemical composition of the food.

So, to put it in perspective, a meringue pie cooked for someone flying high tastes just right, while here on earth its sourness would cause your toes to curl, Higgins explained. The flavor profile of wines also changes with the higher altitude, and the culinary staff is trained accordingly. Stronger-tasting wines with higher alcohol content fare better with passengers, he said."

Just another thing to think about before you complain about that rubbery chicken on your next flight...

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