I heard that coffee tastes better with potatoes on rainy days.

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Cambridge University scientists studied 56,498 online recipes for flavour compounds in an attempt to understand the chemical relationships between flavours. "Later came the so-called computational gastronomy," study leader Sebastian Ahnert said in an interview with the Daily Mail. "We can use data on various food compounds to change our actual experience of food." Ahnert presented his findings at a conference in early April, titled "Hacking Flavor Perception: Art, Design, Technology, & Gastrophysics." The results include a large number of network plots, showing many unprecedented combinations of flavors.

What's the smell? At its core, taste is how taste receptor cells interpret compounds in various foods. Based on this, a group of scientists have a new idea: try and mix ingredients with them. Why not analyze the similarities between these compounds to find possible food combinations? The results of their research were astonishing: beef with chocolate, mussels with strawberries, coffee with potatoes that would surprise even the most adventurous eater.

Ahnert admits that many of the results may sound odd, like caviar with white chocolate or pork with vanilla, but the actual tests don't always go well. "I tried several combinations recommended by the study, coffee and potatoes have many similar compounds, so I made mashed potatoes with milk coffee, but it tasted terrible." But I also tried a perfect combination of coffee and potatoes in Paris. So the actual execution part needs a lot of help from the chefs." This is because the work of chefs is also closely related to chemical compounds. "Because cooking also changes compounds, we need to further study the effects of cooking on flavour." Ahnert explained. But it's not always easy to find chefs who are open to working with them.

Ahnert's team is doing the opposite, judging from the scientific point of view and using the data of flavor compounds. The combinations found so far are surprising. Perhaps it takes creative and competent chefs to really find the right way to cook these novel combinations of beef with chocolate and mussels with strawberries.