Ever wonder what goes into making airline cuisine taste bearable? I read a recent article in the Wall Street Journal about Lufthansa‘s quest to “understand the decline in haute cuisine at high altitude.” Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s LSG Sky Chefs tested foods at Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, which houses the wingless front of an Airbus A310. Conditions can be adjusted to reduce air pressure, suck moisture from the air or pump in engine noise. Test passengers tasted the foods and drinks, filling out surveys on the various items tasted. A ton of planning went into the taste testing, and lots of findings resulted from the food lab. Among some of the simplest findings listed in the article:

• Sweet and salty taste perception drops by up to 30 percent while in the air
• Sourness, bitterness and spiciness are barely affected
• Turbulence can ruin a dish that is pleasing to the eye
• Seasonings, like curry and cardamom, fare better than salt and sugar
• Cabin humidity can ruin Champagne
• Caviar defied testing

For the complete article, click here. So, next time you dig into your airplane cuisine, consider some of these finding before judging the dish too harshly. Good eating at 35,000 feet. — Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive