Book Quotes: Why We Love Fat

From The Science of the Oven by Hervé This (pages 22-23):

Fats are a bane to the health of westerners, and all the more formidable for being adored. Why are we so fond of them? First of all, because they dissolve odorant molecules; in the refrigerator, poorly wrapped butter "takes on odors." Thus, fats trap scents.

The captured odors are restored when the fats are consumed; when foods are warmed in the mouth, the odorant molecules and the fats serving as "solvents" are easily broken. Rising into the nose, the freed odorant molecules contribute powerfully to the taste of foods; hence our appreciation of fats. Additionally, fats lubricate the mucus membrane, contributing to a pleasing unctuous sensation.