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法国科学节于10月12日进入最后一天，今年的主题把烹饪与科学实验联系起来。巧克力慕斯这个日常例子说明，味觉不只来自舌头，还受到嗅觉、质地、温度和大脑的共同影响。

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On October 12, France’s Fête de la science reached its final day after offering thousands of free events. This year’s theme, “Saveurs savantes,” linked science with cooking, taste and food. The idea was simple: an ordinary meal can open the door to chemistry, physics and the study of the human body. Workshops and laboratory visits let families meet researchers and test ideas for themselves.

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10月12日，法国“科学节”进入最后一天，此前已举办数千场免费活动。今年的主题“科学味道”把科学与烹饪、味觉和食物联系起来。这个想法很简单：一顿普通的饭也能打开通往化学、物理学和人体研究的大门。工作坊和实验室参观让家庭有机会与研究人员见面，并亲自检验想法。

When people say “taste,” they often think only about the tongue. Yet researchers explain that the brain combines many signals. Sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami are only part of the picture. Smell brings much of a food’s flavour. Texture and temperature also matter. Even the burning feeling from pepper or the cool feeling from mint changes the experience. Culture and memory can then shape what each person likes.

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人们说到“味道”时，往往只想到舌头。然而，研究人员解释说，大脑会综合许多信号。甜、咸、酸、苦和鲜味只是其中一部分。嗅觉带来了食物风味的很大一部分。质地和温度同样重要。就连辣椒带来的灼热感或薄荷带来的清凉感也会改变体验。随后，文化和记忆还会影响每个人的喜好。

A chocolate mousse offers a clear example. French chef Thierry Marx and physical chemistry researcher Raphaël Haumont used it to show what happens inside a recipe. Water and fat normally separate, but careful mixing can form an emulsion. Air bubbles then give the mousse its light structure. Temperature is important because it changes how chocolate crystals form. A small error can therefore produce a very different result.

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巧克力慕斯就是一个清楚的例子。法国厨师蒂埃里·马克思和物理化学研究员拉斐尔·奥蒙用它展示一道食谱内部发生的变化。水和脂肪通常会分离，但仔细搅拌可以形成乳化物。随后，气泡赋予慕斯轻盈的结构。温度很重要，因为它会改变巧克力晶体的形成方式。因此，一个小错误就可能产生截然不同的结果。

Their work also shows why a kitchen can act like a laboratory. A cook may know how to make a dish, while a researcher asks why each step works. Marx and Haumont made mousse with only chocolate and water. They also used liquid nitrogen as a very fast freezer. These experiments changed texture and helped people notice how strongly temperature affects flavour. The goal was not a magic recipe, but a better explanation.

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他们的工作也说明，厨房为什么可以像实验室一样运作。厨师可能知道怎样做一道菜，而研究人员会追问每一步为何有效。马克思和奥蒙只用巧克力和水制作了慕斯。他们还把液氮用作速度极快的冷冻剂。这些实验改变了质地，也帮助人们注意到温度会多么强烈地影响风味。目标并不是创造神奇食谱，而是给出更好的解释。

The festival has followed this public approach since it began in 1991. Scientists, teachers and students now take part across France. Paris offered hands-on events about food chemistry, health and the environment. CERN also joined a science trail near the French-Swiss border, with activities for schools and families. Such meetings can make research feel less distant from daily life.

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自1991年创办以来，该科学节一直采用这种面向公众的方式。如今，法国各地的科学家、教师和学生都会参与。巴黎举办了有关食品化学、健康和环境的动手活动。欧洲核子研究中心也加入了法国与瑞士边境附近的一条科学体验路线，为学校和家庭安排活动。这样的交流可以让研究不再显得与日常生活那么遥远。

Still, one demonstration cannot tell people what they should eat, and chemistry does not decide whether everyone will enjoy the same dish. It can explain how materials change and why our senses respond. That limited but useful knowledge is the festival’s main lesson: science is not only found in large machines or difficult books. It is also present in a bowl of chocolate mousse.

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不过，一次演示无法告诉人们应该吃什么，化学也不能决定每个人是否都会喜欢同一道菜。它能够解释材料如何变化，以及我们的感官为什么会作出反应。这种知识有边界，却很有用，也正是科学节的主要启示：科学不只存在于大型机器或难懂的书本中，也存在于一碗巧克力慕斯里。

新闻来源

Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche · La Fête de la science décortique les Saveurs savantes du 2 au 12 octobre 2026

Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche · En cuisine avec Thierry Marx pour découvrir les secrets du chocolat

Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche · Quand les plantes s’invitent en cuisine

Ville de Paris · Fête de la science 2026 : découvrez les rendez-vous des structures soutenues par la Ville de Paris

CERN · 2 – 12 October | CERN will be at the “Fête de la science” 2026

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