While the primary focus of most food science books is on the food's composition or its nutritional value, books on the science of gastronomy primarily focus on the pleasure of eating, its social function, even its taste, as is the subject of this book. Pleasure, taste, and social interaction are concepts that do not normally fit in the instrumental scientific approach. And yet, they do play a major part in our daily lives. This book introduces gastronomy as the science of flavor and tasting.