Flavor saturation

I've been sitting for about 45 minutes, nibbling at the leftovers of Trevor’s mutton chettinad dinner. It is this intense spicy sauce with about 20 different spices, all perfectly balanced in this fiery throat coating sauce. I just realized that I’m not even halfway through what I warmed up, and I’m perfectly satisfied. It is total flavor saturation.

Flavor saturation is a chef school term that describes the idea that either the separate dishes of a meal, or the meal as a whole must have ALL the flavors that we taste present in a balanced way. Sweetness, hotness, bitterness, tartness, saltiness, and richness ( oiliness). The result of the perfect balance is total taste bud satisfaction.

Indian food is so very satisfying, because each bite has full flavor saturation. I've been nibbling at this for half an hour now. Just enjoying the lingering flavors from small bites. It's like the difference between eating a large slab of mild cheddar, or a few small crumbles of feta.

There is probably a life lesson in there about happiness saturation, although I can't get the thoughts of that pulled together quite yet, but there is certainly a diet lesson in this.

A bite of feta or tangy bleu or grana padano instead of big slabs of mild cheddar. A wonderful tapenade, or a squeeze of lemon instead of fat laden additives. Small bits of balanced intense flavor will satisfy cravings quickly and with minimal calorie intake.

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