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Cooking for people who have lost their sense of smell

Which ingredients are still delicious when smell is gone or distorted? A practical, science-backed guide to taste, sensation, texture, and safety.

You are not alone

Smell and taste loss is more common than most people think

20.5MU.S. adults 40+ with measured smell impairment (13.5%)^1,2

26.3MU.S. adults 40+ with measured taste impairment (17.3%)¹

25%Nearly one in four men aged 60–69 has a smell disorder³

Start here

Taste and flavor aren't the same thing

We often use the words interchangeably, but flavor is built from three channels. True taste is what happens on the tongue. In fact, most people who see a doctor about losing their taste turn out to have lost their sense of smell.¹²

Taste

Salt, sweet, sour, bitter, umami — detected by taste buds on the tongue.

Usually intact

Smell (retronasal)

Aromas travel from the mouth up to the nose as you chew. The brain "places" them in the mouth, so we mistake them for taste.¹⁴

Active

Chemesthesis

Heat, cooling, tingle, and fizz sensed by the trigeminal nerve — the "third part" of flavor.¹³

Usually intact

Tap "With smell loss" to see which channels a cook can still work with.

What anosmics can still taste — tap a tile for ingredient ideas

Heat · Sharpness · Tingle · Cool

Lean on the trigeminal nerve

The trigeminal nerve is usually not affected by smell loss, so ingredients that stimulate it add intensity and excitement anosmics can still feel.

JalapeñoChilisMustard HorseradishMintGinger CuminBlack pepperSparkling water

Research spotlightIn a study of adults with acquired smell loss, adding low-to-moderate capsaicin to tomato soup raised perceived overall flavor and saltiness — a possible way to boost enjoyment while using less salt.⁶

Worth knowingAfter COVID-19, some patients also show reduced nasal sensitivity to menthol, in step with their smell loss — so if heat and cooling feel muted too, that's real, not imagined.⁷

Interactive

Build a plate that works without smell

Check off each sensory layer your dish includes. The more layers, the more there is to enjoy when aroma is missing.

Taste contrastPair two or more tastes, e.g. salty + sour or sweet + bitter. Trigeminal kickChili, ginger, mustard, horseradish, or mint. Crunch & soundCrunch can pack a punch — toasted seeds, crisp vegetables. Varied size & shapeMix textures and cuts within one bite. Color & platingAppearance boosts appeal and can trigger flavor memories. Temperature contrastWarm with cool. Cool foods release fewer aromatics — helpful for parosmia. FizzCarbonation adds tingle and mouthfeel. Creamy mouthfeelAvocado, yogurt, olive oil — richness you can feel.

0 / 8 layers

Start checking layers to build your plate.

When smell returns distorted

The particular challenges of parosmia

As some people regain their sense of smell, they develop parosmia — an unpleasant distortion of taste and smell. Severity, frequency, and trigger foods vary between individuals.

Coffee
Chocolate
Fried foods
Roasted meats
Roasted vegetables
Bacon
Onions
Garlic
Eggs

Recovery support

Try smell training

Smell training means sniffing a set of strong scents on purpose, twice a day, for several months. In the first study, published in 2009, patients sniffed rose, eucalyptus, lemon, and clove twice daily for 12 weeks. Their olfactory function improved, while it stayed unchanged in patients who did not train.⁹ About 30% of trainees improved, compared with 6% of the control group. Later work found that rotating through new sets of scents over a longer period may help further.¹⁰

RoseFlowery

EucalyptusResinous

LemonFruity

CloveSpicy

Practice session: 10 seconds per scent. Sniff gently and picture what each one should smell like.

Smell training is low-risk, but talk to a doctor about any change in smell — it can signal other health conditions.³

Stay safe

Smell is an early-warning system

Without smell, smoke, gas leaks, and spoiled food can go unnoticed.⁴ In a UK survey of people with smell disorders, 85.9% said they worried about safety, and nearly a third had experienced a food-related safety incident in the previous five years.¹¹

Smoke alarms

Install them in every key room, especially the kitchen, and test them monthly.

Gas & CO detectors

You can't rely on the added "rotten egg" odor in gas. Fit natural gas and carbon monoxide detectors.

Date everything

Label leftovers with the date they were made, and stick to use-by dates rather than the sniff test.

Use a thermometer

Check doneness by temperature and timers, not by aroma.

Know the terms

Definitions

AnosmiaLoss of the sense of smell

Can be temporary or long-lasting, and may follow viral infection, head injury, sinus disease, or aging. Some people are born without smell (congenital anosmia).

AgeusiaLoss of the sense of taste

True taste loss is rarer than smell loss. Many people who believe they've lost taste have actually lost smell.¹²

HyposmiaReduced ability to smell

A partial loss. Odors may seem faint or only detectable at high intensity.

HypogeusiaReduced ability to taste

Basic tastes such as salt or sweet register more weakly than they should.

ParosmiaSmells are distorted, often unpleasantly

Familiar foods smell "wrong," often rotten or chemical. It commonly appears during recovery from smell loss.

PhantosmiaSmelling things that aren't there

Phantom odors, such as smoke or burning, with no source. Mention it to a doctor if it persists.

OleogustusThe proposed taste of fat

Term coined by Purdue researchers in 2015 for the distinct taste of fatty acids. It is separate from fat's creamy feel.⁵

#DeliciousForAll Culinary Challenge

Looking for ideas and examples?

More on eating with smell disorders

Food for ThoughtFifth Sense Loss of Taste: What to EatAbScent A Dietitian on ParosmiaVideo · YouTube Smell DisordersNIH · NIDCD

Sources

References

Liu G, Zong G, Doty RL, Sun Q. Prevalence and risk factors of taste and smell impairment in a nationwide representative sample of the US population. BMJ Open. 2016. Link
Hoffman HJ et al. New chemosensory component in NHANES: first-year results for measured olfactory dysfunction. 2016. Link
NIDCD. The science of scent: Understanding smell disorders. 2025. Link
NIDCD. Smell Disorders. Link
Running CA, Craig BA, Mattes RD. Oleogustus: The unique taste of fat. Chemical Senses 40(7):507–516. 2015. Link
More spice, less salt: how capsaicin affects liking for and perceived saltiness of foods in people with smell loss. 2023. Link
Otte MS et al. Patients with COVID-19-associated olfactory impairment also show impaired trigeminal function. Auris Nasus Larynx 49(1):147–152. 2022. Link
Parker JK, Kelly CE, Gane SB. Insights into the molecular triggers of parosmia based on gas chromatography olfactometry. Communications Medicine 2:58. 2022. Link
Hummel T et al. Effects of olfactory training in patients with olfactory loss. Laryngoscope 119(3):496–9. 2009. Link
Undark. Post-Covid, many patients try smell therapy. But does it work? 2021. Link
University of East Anglia. Dangers of smell impairment highlighted in new research (with Fifth Sense). Link
NIDCR. Taste Disorders. Link
Siebert KJ, Xu N. Chemesthesis: The third part of flavor perception. Cornell University / ASBC. 2014. Link
FoodNavigator. Olfaction's role in taste is powerful, confirms new "dual sense" research (on Small et al., 2005). Link

This page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. If you notice a change in your sense of smell or taste, talk with a healthcare provider.

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