ABSTRACT
The role of food in tourism and the economy at large can hardly be underestimated. The scientific approach to gastronomy offers a fundamentally new way to assess eating and drinking and therefore liking or customer satisfaction. This chapter discusses some aspects of the new view on gastronomy, how it links to hospitality and hospitality management, and how this knowledge could benefit hospitality education in relation to gastronomic tourism. The two central concepts in the science of gastronomy are flavor and tasting. Both are intricately related and yet very different. Flavor can be assessed objectively and this opens the door for classification. Similar to distinguishing flavor and tasting, it is useful to separate deliciousness from liking. Deliciousness relates to flavor and liking relates to tasting. Food quality can be considered both the most well-defined and ill-defined concept in the food industry.
