There’s no denying that fried food is hard to resist. Although we know that it’s not the healthiest option, nothing quite compares to having a warm basket of fries alongside a roast beef sandwich. And we can’t forget our other fried favorites like chicken tenders, onion rings, and mozzarella sticks. When you’re looking for nearby places to eat, those are often the items that jump out as something you’d like to treat yourself to.
But what is it about fried food that makes us love it so much? Let’s take a look at some of the food facts.
The texture combination is perfect.
You might think we’re exaggerating when we say “perfect,” but we don’t think so. And if we are, it’s only a little. When something is perfectly fried, you have a beautifully crunchy exterior and a melt-in-your-mouth interior. You just can’t beat the moment when those two textures come together. It’s hard to describe, but you know what we’re talking about.
All your senses get involved.
There aren’t a lot of foods that are an experience for all your senses, but pretty much anything fried makes the list. We just explored the textures, but that’s not where the experience starts. It starts with your eyes. The moment you see a pile of golden-brown fried goodness, you can’t wait to pick it up and take a bite. And then, when it gets close enough for you to smell it, it’s more than enough to make your mouth water.
But we’re not quite ready to move on to the taste. Your sense of touch comes into play first. More often than not, we eat fried food with our fingers, so it shouldn’t be too greasy. You’ll get some oil on your fingers, but you don’t want it to be so much that it distracts from the joy of eating.
Finally, flavors and textures can take center stage. You take your first bite, and you’re met with a perfect crunch, followed by the melt-in-your-mouth experience of what’s inside the batter. But we’re not done yet! If you’ve been following along, you’ll have noticed that we haven’t mentioned the sound yet. There’s something called the “music of mastication,” which is what you hear inside your head when you chew. It’s an important part of the experience of eating, and fried food lands right in the sweet spot. It’s just loud enough to make a satisfying crunching sound but not so loud that you’re deafened while you chew.