What's the deal with airline food?
It's just the hackneyed example of an awful joke. Any time a comedian mentions airline food, you know exactly where it's going to go: airline food is bad. There's literally nothing else you can say about it: it's tasteless, and that's it. Those of who have flow all know it’s bad and it's really not possible to say anything about it that we haven't heard a million times before. Or is there something more to it?
Seriously, if you are a frequent traveler, then the prospect of eating airplane food is enough to make your stomach churn. The quality of airline food has always been a subject of discussion amongst travelers. The airline industry has changed a lot over the last few decades, but food hasn’t.
So now that the not so pleasantries of airline food are over, it’s time to dive into what to order on planes, and what you really might want to give a pass on. A lot of it has to do both with the science of cooking and facts around how your taste buds change in the air.
Airlines want to serve the most convenient, portable meal that is less likely to go bad before it’s consumed. As a result, they usually serve food with a higher fat, salt and sugar content, in smaller portions than ground food - because these ingredients help preserve the taste and texture of the food. This is a key reason why much of the food you eat on planes can be considered unhealthy.
The cabin pressure on an airplane is incredibly low, and this is why your ears will pop as you take off. It’s because the air pressure inside your ear is higher than the air pressure in the cabin. The higher the airplane flies, the lower the air pressure and humidity. The dry, low-pressure air of an airplane cabin suppresses the sense of smell, which is vital in taste. Background noise such as jet engines running and low air pressure further affect ones’ taste by repressing the ability to savour sweet and savory foods by up to 30%.
Hygiene is incredibly important in airline catering. Airlines cannot risk giving a plane full of people food poisoning I’m all for it…even if it means staying on liquids only!
Fancy a meat based meal like a steak or roast chicken? Think again. Firstly, airlines cannot bring any raw meat on planes - that’s a fact. Secondly, it was cooked somewhere else, long before it made it on to the plane. In fact, nearly all the meals served on board are cooked and prepared many hours before been placed in a box, then into a cart, then into a truck, where it sat somewhere for a while, before being loaded onto your flight. Thirdly, it then was stored in the plane’s galley to be re-heated hours later before service.
What this means is, if you’re having a chicken, a steak, or whatever meat based meal you’d like to enjoy on board, it was cooked somewhere else, long before it made it on to the plane. For meals involving meat on a plane, your best bet is one with a sauce, such as a curry, a stew or in context of pasta or noodles.
The better meals to eat on planes
What then should one eat on a plane? That’s a hard one to answer. Typically a curry, a salad or a vegetable mezze style meal (from hummus to tabbouleh to babaganoush), works best according to experts. Vegetable curries, stews and pies are incredible on the plane for a few simple and logical reasons.
One, vegetables are generally good for you. Nutrients help with many things in life and they’re great for keeping your metabolism going with jet lag. Two, the decreased taste buds thing is true, but any good curry will still have sharp enough flavor to burst through. A great curry, whether over rice, noodles or just on its own is going to pack the big, bold flavors needed to stand out in the air, like fresh herbs and strong spices. Spices like turmeric and ginger can be fantastic for cutting down on inflammation, which is a constant worry on planes.
Breads for dipping or with olive oil give you enough sustenance to power through, without that full-full feeling of a hot and heavy meal. Grab one of these if offered, even if it’s not great, it’s good.
Eating on planes can be a great way to pass time, but rarely is it going to be the most nutritional or delicious option. It just tastes different up there.
Source: External
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