– One of them meets the sweet and salty point on the tongue, one meets the sour, and the last one meets all the points on the tongue at the same time.
“The idea is that the shape enhances or changes the experience of taste,” says product development manager Constance Gaard Kristiansen about the new products Figgjo SANS.
Figgjo SANS was designed by the Norwegian duo Marte Frøystad and Runa Klock who wondered why there were few alternatives to traditional cutlery and chopsticks.
“We began by asking ourselves if what we eat with and from can affect the experience of food. Of course, the answer is yes! We wanted to create something you can hold and eat directly from, and found our inspiration in the shape and size of the oysters. But what happens when the object meets the mouth? We knew that wine glasses are designed to enhance the different flavors in wine by directing it to different parts of the tongue, so we started to experiment and see if we could achieve the same with food,” says Runa Klock.
The designers tried different varieties together with one of Norway’s most renowned chefs, Even Ramsvik from the restaurant Ylajali, and eventually ended up with three different shapes. The narrow one meets the tip of the tongue where the sweet and salty zones are found, and enhances sweet taste. One is more open and balanced, and the last one leads the contents to the sides of the tongue, where the sour taste is enhanced.
“In recent years it has been debated whether the tongue map is myth or reality,” says Kristiansen of Figgjo.
Perhaps Figgjo SANS can give scientists a final answer. Talk about differentiating the dining experience!
