New
New
Year 5

Food for the senses

I can describe a range of different ingredients used to flavour dishes from around the world.

New
New
Year 5

Food for the senses

I can describe a range of different ingredients used to flavour dishes from around the world.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Herbs, spices, fruits and aromatic ingredients have a range of smells and flavours.
  2. Different cuisines around the world are associated with different smells and flavours.
  3. The sensory attributes of ingredients can be described and rated (measured).

Keywords

  • Cuisine - a style or method of cooking in a certain country or region

  • Senses - sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch

  • Herbs - leafy green parts of plants which are used in cooking

  • Spices - the seeds, roots, bark, or dried fruit of plants

  • Aromatic - other fruit and vegetables that add aroma and flavour to dishes, e.g. garlic, fresh ginger

Common misconception

Sensory evaluation can only help us decide whether we like a food or not.

Sensory evaluation can help us decide whether we like foods, but also allows us to describe and compare foods.


To help you plan your year 5 cooking and nutrition lesson on: Food for the senses, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

This lesson involves pupils tasting and describing a range of foods. Have the food samples, such as citrus fruits, herbs, spices, garlic and ginger, cut into small pieces before the lesson, so that time is not wasted. Encourage pupils to handle, smell and taste the foods. Always check for allergies.
Teacher tip

Equipment

A range of ingredients (pre-prepared) for sensory testing. Paper towels.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is a lime?

An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz

Q2.
The __________ is used to detect the taste of a food.

eye
nose
Correct answer: mouth

Q3.
Match the following senses:

Correct Answer:sight,it looks green and lumpy

it looks green and lumpy

Correct Answer:smell,is has a sweet and buttery smell

is has a sweet and buttery smell

Correct Answer:taste,it has a very spicy taste

it has a very spicy taste

Correct Answer:texture,it is crunchy

it is crunchy

Q4.
Which of these cuisines traditionally uses lots of rice in their dishes?

Correct answer: Chinese
British
Correct answer: Japanese
Italian
Polish

Q5.
What word best describes this fruit?

An image in a quiz
sour
bitter
Correct answer: sweet
salty

Q6.
Sort the following into the correct order for tasting a food:

1 - Look at the food, describe its appearance.
2 - Smell the food, using your nose.
3 - Taste the food in your mouth.
4 - Describe the texture of the food, as you eat it.

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
__________ come from the seeds, roots, bark, or dried fruit of plants.

herbs
Correct answer: spices
salads
fruits

Q2.
Match the following cuisines to their popular foods:

Correct Answer:Italian,pizza, lasagne, risotto and focaccia bread

pizza, lasagne, risotto and focaccia bread

Correct Answer:Indian,dhal, tandoori chicken, naan bread and biryani

dhal, tandoori chicken, naan bread and biryani

Correct Answer:Japanese,sushi, ramen (noodle soup) and tempura

sushi, ramen (noodle soup) and tempura

Correct Answer:Ghanaian,jollof rice, fufu, peanut soup and waakye (rice and beans)

jollof rice, fufu, peanut soup and waakye (rice and beans)

Q3.
Match the following ingredient types:

Correct Answer:herbs,mint, coriander

mint, coriander

Correct Answer:spices,cardamom, cumin

cardamom, cumin

Correct Answer:aromatic ingredients,garlic, lemongrass

garlic, lemongrass

Correct Answer:fruit,lime, pomegranate

lime, pomegranate

Q4.
The process of describing or rating food, using our senses, is called ...

sense evaluation.
sensing evaluation.
sensational evaluation.
Correct answer: sensory evaluation.

Q5.
is used in Middle Eastern stews and, in the UK, apple crumble.

An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: Cinnamon, cinnamon

Q6.
True or false? Sensory evaluation can only help us decide whether we like a food or not.

true
Correct answer: false

Additional material

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