Neurogastronomy is a new paradigm of preparing and consuming food, which combines cooking with contemporary neuroscientific findings. In the background of this synergy is the belief that cooking and eating are not limited by a single human need, the need for eating, but that it is a multisensory human experience. The main purpose of this paper is to present the research findings of perception and interpretation of the flavors at the brain-activity level from the perspective of evolutionary and cognitive psychology. The author first explains the key concepts and the relationship between the molecular kitchen and neurogastronomy, followed by important findings in the neurophysiological research of flavor. The paper concludes with a critical reflection on the limits of laboratory experiments, which do not take into account many environmental factors and violate the so-called ecological validity.
