Recent research from Denmark suggests that cookery classes for people with smell loss, especially those with COVID-related loss, helped improve both the way they felt about their loss as well as objective smell test scores.
Smell plays a crucial role in how we experience food, but it also influences social interactions, safety, and emotional well-being. Losing this sense can significantly impact daily life, often reducing food enjoyment and confidence in cooking
The Study
The researchers, through their ENT clinic, invited 67 patients with hyposmia to participate in the class, which ran once a week for five weeks. They excluded people with parosmia, and also excluded people who could not tell the difference between salty and sweet. The participants had different kinds of smell loss besides COVID-19, including other viruses and head injuries.
All participants were given an objective smell test before starting the program so that their ability to smell could be scored scientifically. They were also instructed to use smell training, both before starting the cooking program and after. Everyone filled out three questionnaires–one at the beginning, one after finishing the cookery school, and one three months after the end. In this questionnaire, people were asked to rate their sense of smell from 0 to 100, where 0 was no smell at all, and 100 was a healthy sense of smell.
The Cooking School
The program combined hands-on cooking with structured education about flavour and sensory engagement. Participants worked in small teams, learning to enhance flavour through seasoning and ingredient selection, with guidance from chefs.
- In the first session, participants sampled foods designed to stimulate all the senses related to flavour, helping them better understand their sensory experiences while also learning how smell, taste and the other senses work together.
- Each participant received a cookbook and a taste kit, containing basic flavour elements to use both at home and during cooking sessions.
- Meals were prepared and shared in small teams, allowing participants to reflect on their sensory experiences and refine their cooking techniques.
The final session included a review lecture, another round of cooking, and a communal meal with invited family members, reinforcing the idea that these techniques should continue beyond the program.
Findings and Impact
Sixty-two people completed the program. The scientists found that people’s improvement, from the beginning to the 3 month period following completion of the program, was significant. Smell training was considered to play a role in this. Through the cookery classes, and engaging in food preparation, the participants were exposed to a variety of food odours and encouraged to have a multisensory experience of food while cooking.
One of the greatest challenges with smell training is that most people give up before they have had a chance to benefit. Taking part in the cookery school was a way to engage not just with the sense of smell but with others who were experiencing the same thing. The cookery school used “taste kits” that provided further engagement. Through this, people learned that smell provides only one aspect of food appreciation, and the course detailed all aspects of smell, taste, and flavour.
Conclusion
This study underscores the potential of structured cooking programs as a viable intervention for patients with olfactory loss and suggests that culinary interventions may offer a promising supplement to traditional olfactory training.
Key takeaway: The cooking school approach, combining food, flavour, and olfactory training, demonstrated significant improvements in both subjective and measured olfactory function. These findings suggest that culinary interventions—when designed to engage multiple senses—can play an important role in rehabilitating olfactory function.
