Degustation is a culinary term meaning a careful, appreciative tasting of various foods and focusing on the gustatory system

Gustatory system

The gustatory system is the sensory system for the sense of taste.- Importance :The gustatory system allows humans to distinguish between safe and harmful food. Bitter and sour foods we find unpleasant, while salty, sweet, and meaty tasting foods generally provide a pleasurable sensation...

, the senses, high culinary art and good company. Dégustation is more likely to involve sampling small portions of all of a chef's signature dish

Signature dish

A signature dish is a recipe that identifies an individual chef. Ideally it should be unique and allow an informed gastronome to name the chef in a blind tasting. It can be thought of as the culinary equivalent of an artist finding their own style, or an author finding their own voice...

es in one sitting. Usually consisting of eight or more courses, it may be accompanied by a matching wine degustation which complements each dish. A dégustation experience takes 4 hours at The Fat Duck

The Fat Duck

The Fat Duck is a restaurant run by chef Heston Blumenthal in Bray, Berkshire, England. The restaurant is known for its menu of unusual dishes, created following the principles of molecular gastronomy examples include: "snail porridge", "sardine on toast sorbet", "bacon and egg ice cream", and...

.

History and etymology

The French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 term dégustation is still commonly used in English-language contexts, even though a standard Anglicized spelling and pronunciation exist. Modern dégustation probably comes from the French

French cuisine

French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...

 kitchens of the early 20th century and is different from earlier meals with many courses because these meals were served as full-sized meals at each course.

Cheese dégustation

Sampling a selection of cheese

Cheese

Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....

s, at home or in a restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

, may also be called a dégustation. Three to four varieties are normally chosen, generally including a semi-soft cheese, a goat's cheese, and a blue cheese

Blue cheese

Blue cheese is a general classification of cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk cheeses that have had cultures of the mold Penicillium added so that the final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mold, and carries a distinct smell, either from that or...

. The stronger varieties are normally tasted last.

In popular culture

The Japanese television show Iron Chef

Iron Chef

is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1992, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle built around a specific theme ingredient. The series ended...

always includes a dégustation.