The senses – Sight

And what about sight? Did you know that around 80 percent of our sensory impressions are registered through our eyes? And that our eyes can take in 10 million pieces of information per second and transfer them to our brain? Simply by looking at something we gain an initial impression of foods and dishes, or more precisely their form and colour, as well as their state (solid or liquid). This initial picture provides us with further information such as whether our meat is well cooked, or how sour a piece of fruit might be. Pinkish strawberries are rather sour, whereas we associate deep red specimens with a much sweeter taste. We can also see when an item is past its best - mouldy bread, for example. Appearance influences our eating behaviour - after all, we eat with our eyes, too! Accordingly, our appetites are aroused by strong colours such as a bright red apple or a yellow pepper.

 

The light that penetrates the eye hits the retina through the cornea, the lens and the vitreous humour. The signals generated are transferred to the brain via the optic nerve and then perceived as sensory impressions.