Does the colour of food influence our perception of its taste?
Oddly enough it does. Though there is no actual correlation between color and taste, there is a perceived one. A few years ago Starbursts and Skittles had a mystery flavor which was a white candy. It turned out to be cherry (i believe) a very recognizable taste when its in its associated red. The makers of these candies knew of such a mental correlation existed (red-cherry, pink-watermelon, purple-grape, green-lime, yellow-lemon etc.) and by simply masking the color they could make figuring out the flavor that much harder. Outside of the candy world a similar phenomenon exists, if something was dirt brown and not chocolate, we’d be very put off, even if it tasted the same as it did in its correct color. Even someone’s favorite food, if presented in an unorthodox manner, could be dismissed as disgusting even after the individual ate the food.
