I love these kinds of posts on others blogs – thanks to Elisabeth as their initiator. So why not dive into one of my own. Let’s talk about food smells. The good the bad, the best and the worst.
My Top Five Food Smells
Fresh Baked Goods
Not matter what we are talking about breakfast rolls, cookies or mom signature cherry streuselkuchen – best smells. Period. Cake is my happy place and I will die on that hill. Add cinnamon and I am all yours. Gimme all the freshly baked things and let me sit infront of the oven awaiting their arrival on my taste buds.
If you need to be convinced here are a few recipes: Apple Yoghurt Cake (image in header), Finnish Apple Cake, Chewy Pecan Brownies, Healthy Zucchini Brownies, Braided Easter Bread, Savory Potato Bread, Finnish Carrot Rolls,
Coffee
The waft of a freshly brewed coffee no matter if at home or walking past a coffee shop is just the best. I even made coffee scrub in order to take the smell into the shower.
Earl Grey with Milk
Ok… so maybe coffee has to share its place with freshly brewed earl grey. The bergamot flavor is especially elevated when adding a dash of milk. It’s just such a comforting smell. It oozes coziness and relaxation and taking some time. It’s a hug in a mug for me. If I ever have to decide to give up coffee I would do in an instant knowing I had my earl grey.
Fresh Herbs
Running your hand through the oily piny smell of a rosemary bush. There is really not much better than that. Maybe only the neighboring mint plants. Totally different smell but equally the best. And then adding the fresh herbs to a dish. Rosemary on the baked potatoes or a grilled piece of meat. So delicious, And the fragrance wafting up while preparing. And the summery smell when adding mint to water, apple juice or on top of ice cream and dessert or fancy cocktails. Yes please.
Popcorn
Freshly made salty buttery popcorn. Is there a better smell? (Apparently since it is number 5). So good. Specially when I suffer a migraine it is a comfort food and helps me relaxe. Am I weird. Sure. I don’t care but bring some popcorn to apologize.
I asked the husband and he mentioned: fries – (this would be my #6), coffee, waffles
My Bottom Five Food Smells
You may know that my smelling sense is very sensitive specially when I am approach or in the midst of off a migraine attack. Some of the worst smells can even trigger one.
Burnt Breads
Have you ever managed to burn a toast. Or microwaved some bread? That smell is the worst. It creeps into everything. It clings to your hair and even washing it three times won’t help much. It lingers in the kitchen. And even worse in the devices. It is just not possible to get rid of it. It takes weeks.
How I know? Oh I have been a room when it happened. Colleagues using the office microwave… A stuck toaster not popping up. A failed microwaving attempt in reheating a pizza when we newly moved into an apartment with a microwave. (I have not grown up with and I have never owned one. So I am not experienced. We are back to not being microwave owners these days.)
Any Cabbage
Cauliflower. It is the worst. One reason I don’t really eat it. Add in broccoli. Similar disgusting. Kohlrabi is okayish but still it’s staying too long in the kitchen. Everything in the cabbage range is just awful if we are being honest. At least after cooking.
This luke warm salad made of savoy cabbage with bacon bits is to die for though.
Old Wooden Cutting Board
I am counting this as food smell. Have you smelled old wooden cutting boards on which food is cut? I grew up with wooden cutting boards. And utensils. I.Can.Not.Stand.The.Smells. The old sweat stinking onion smell is usually on the forefront and then all the layers of other scents. Truly horrible. Once I had my own household I started using different cutting boards – even though I feel the smell slowly creeps in too – and invested in plastic utensils. But when I am at the country home or my parents place it’s hard for me. They don’t smell that. Or don’t mind?
Garbage Smells
Once the garbage has been in the apartment for just this one bit too long. Argh. Specially when it is summer and you may have eaten fish and the salmon skin is still somewhere deep within. This makes me peel out of bad with a migraine get dressed and walk to the dumpster. I cannot stand it. Makes me gag,
When I was in New York (summer 2012) this was the smell I remember from the city. Everywhere it smelled like garbage. The worst.
Long Stored Butter
Have you ever sniffed butter when it was open and stored in the fridge for a few days? It gets this weird smell and adopts all the smells from within the fridge. Its awful. I cannot eat it on my bread. It usually doesn’t taste like it but the smells. Terrible. I will use it for cooking though.
I didn’t need to ask the husband but it is: anything cabbage, onions and most fish
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Now what is your top food smell. And what is the worst? Ever burnt a toast? Do you sniff your cutting boards? Would you choose coffee or earl grey if you had to give up one thing?
10 comments
This was fun to read, Tobia! It’s interesting to get your German perspective on what smells bad or good. Old wooden cutting board isn’t something I would’ve thought of! I’ve never noticed any smell coming from cutting boards. Also long-stored butter! I’ve never had any issues with that either. My top 5 food smells are baked goods, popcorn, coffee, citrus fruits, and soup or stew cooking.
My bottom 5 food smells are garlic, anything in the cabbage family, most fish, burnt food, and hard boiled eggs.
One funny smell is cotton candy. I love the smell of it, but I hate the taste!
I am very peculiar when it comes to smells. The cutting board and butter is probably unique. Everyone I asked can’t even smell it. citrus smells are great too. It was hard to leave out a few things. I sneaked in cinnamon at the top but it could have gotten its own bullet point it’s so good.
You are not a fan of garlic? I understand that when the smell is oo strong but I wouldn’t want to miss garlic in my food. The egg smell is also not the greatest but I love eggs. I agree cotton candy smells good, looks fun but eating it… It’s been decades since I had any.
I burn toast ALL THE TIME! My Husband jokes that I’m an amazing cook, except for toast. I just always forget that it’s in the toaster oven and then before I know it, that acrid smell….
I think my favorite smell is ginger, even better is ginger and scallions. My mother cooked a lot with ginger so it’s a very comforting scent for me. Curry is another favorite smell – I love walking past Indian restaurants and smelling curry.
I don’t know if I have a bottom 5…. I’ll have to think on that one…
Oh yes Ginger is great too. Maybe before that anything citrusy.
I thought toasters always have an automatic stop thingy.
Is there a difference in the way butter is made/processed between Germany and the US? Is that why the old butter smells so bad there? We probably have all sorts of preservatives to keep it stored for a long time, lol, because I definitely have never noticed a weird smell from my butter!
Coffee is one of the BEST smells in the world. I can’t believe I didn’t have that on my list!
Hahah how did you miss coffee. Seriously. Need to write a new list.
I am not sure about the butter. It could be that we are staying a bit closer to the original product. However it could just be that all the butter I smell is way too old? I dont know. Or I am just very weird. No one here smells it either so maybe it’s me.
I’m with you on your top smells apart from Earl Gray tea, I can’t stand it. I have had to give up coffee because of the migraines, so I just have to content myself with the smell. The first time we went away for four weeks and left our son at home, we came home to the worst smell. There was mouldy food in the fridge and cooked meat in a pan on the stove that had been there a few days—not good! It took a few days to finally get rid of the smells.
Oh my gosh I don’t even want to imagine that smell. Terrible. Did you make him clean it up?
Sorry you had to give up coffee. How did you figure out it’s a trigger for you?
I actually don’t love the smell of coffee. It always smells a bit stale to me. I enjoy drinking it though :)
Interesting. Stale would not be a word I’d use. Glad you can still enjoy the taste.