QUALITALY_131

October/November 202 2 VI MAGAZINE and melted butter. Make layers and bake in a terrine at 160°C for 30/35 minutes Sweet and sour sauce With the belly trimmings and the jelly released from cooking, make a base and let it reduce. Cook peppers and onions with sugar, vinegar and chilli. When cooked, blend them lightly and add them to the meat stock. __________________________________ AT PAGE 32 DID YOU KNOW? Olfactory marketing. A business card and source of business IT IS THE MOST UNDERESTIMATED ASPECT IN RESTAURANTS. YET IT IS A VERY POWERFUL MEDIUM THAT GETS RIGHT TO THE HEART OF THE CUSTOMER’S EMOTIONS (AND DESIRE TO CONSUME). BECAUSE THERE ARE GOOD AND BAD SMELLS. AND SOME AROMAS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHERS by Anna Muzio The décor, the sign, the colours, the mise en place, the music and, obviously, the service with a smile. There are many characteristics of a restaurant to consider when inviting the customer to enter, above and beyond the culinary proposal. But probably the most mistreated and neglected element may turn out to be the most important: we are talking about the odoriferous environment, that is, everything perceived by the sense of smell. A sense that influences the gastronomic experience even more than taste: beyond the basic tastes - sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami - the most complex sensations derive from the molecules that reach the nasal epithelium. Moreover, the receptors of odours travel straight to the limbic system of the brain, the place where sensations of pleasure are generated and the seat of the most persistent memories: those linked, precisely, to smell. YOU ARE WHAT YOU SMELL So how should this be applied in restaurants? The first rule would be to create a ‘neutral’ environment in which only the fragrances of dishes and wines ‘speak’, avoiding that underestimated but very powerful olfactory pollution: avoid smells from the kitchen or excessively strong odours that spoil the experience, inside and outside the restaurant. Less perceptible than visual or auditory stimuli, those of the sense of smell are the strongest in predisposing the customer to the act of eating. Even outside, there is an invisible yet crucial ‘olfactory business card’ perceived by those who pass by the windows, which can entice one to enter but also induce one to turn away. But scents can also be played with: olfactory marketers are well aware of the power of certain smells (freshly baked bread, coffee) on the human psyche and on purchasing decisions. Certain scents create well-being, calm (lavender) or energise and improve the mood (citrus fruits). While in a restaurant the wrong smell ruins the experience (which is why there should be a law, moral or communal, against arriving in the restaurant enveloped in a persistent and pernicious cloud of perfume or aftershave), there are those who exploit this to their advantage. Knowing, for example, the olfactory power of freshly baked bread or cakes, one could bake them at times of the day when the customer is absent, also to make them stay longer. Chef Cristiano Tomei of L’Imbuto in Lucca used to say that he proposed the moka for coffee at the end of the meal precisely because of that aroma of home (relaxation, well-being) that he diffused in the restaurant. There are also companies that create synthetic or natural perfumes, mixes created ad hoc to generate sales: olfactory marketing is a real business, especially in the USA. Then there are those who do it themselves, and experiment. In Chicago, for example, chef Grant Achatz of the Alinea restaurant works a lot by creating aromas outside the main dish: thus were born appetisers on pillows filled with nutmeg air, pierced at the moment of serving. Or meat served on a hot river rock placed on a nest of fresh juniper branches with a toasty scent. Achaz has even gone so far as to use cinnamon incense and freshly scented rosemary branches to enhance the sensory experience. Lo chef Cristiano Tomei de L’Imbuto di Lucca