After the focus of gastronomy for decades has been on food design, shape and output of the dish itself, without thinking about how that food gets into the consumer's mouth, scientific research has begun to provide evidence about the benefits of eating with hands, rather than cutlery, as part of researchers' attempts to understand "how our sense of food changes when we take it in a bite and put it in our mouth without anything else interfering."

A landmark review published in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science in late 2022 on interaction with food by hand tasting stated that a number of chefs have recently begun to "focus on their guests' interaction with the food they serve, in line with the growing interest in eating it with hands."

The culture of eating by hand seemed to be in vogue, in contrast to the gradual reluctance to use cutlery except in the narrowest limits, from east to west, especially in the United Kingdom and America.

According to the British newspaper "Daily Mail", a poll revealed that "a quarter of people in Britain want to get rid of a knife, fork and spoon; of the 2500,19 people who participated in the research, 10% said they felt more comfortable eating with their hands, while one in <> said that it makes the meal tastier; and a psychologist told the newspaper, "We all eat the wrong way, and we should eat with our hands."

Eating with hands makes us more aware of the texture, taste and smell of food (Shutterstock)

The beginning of the decline of the Western style

After the total number of tableware for the upper classes in the West in the late 19th century was about 100 pieces, and foods allowed to touch with fingers were limited to bread, biscuits, olives, asparagus, and celery only, recent decades have seen the beginning of the decline of the Western style of eating using a knife, fork, and spoon, and foods such as burgers, hot dogs, potato chips, pizza, chicken wings, ice cream, and most fast food are eaten by hands in a normal and acceptable way in public.

The trend in some high-end restaurants in New York included putting the food of a dish directly in the hands of the journalists invited at the opening ceremony, and inviting couples to a romantic dinner to eat from each other's hands.

A few years ago, two-Michelin-starred chef Luis Andoni cut out most cutlery for one season at his restaurant in the Spanish Basque Country and "decided to put the majority of his 20 dishes on the hand tasting menu."

Many chefs in London are encouraging their guests to "try at least some dishes with their hands", including chef Joseph Youssef, who noted that there is a feeling that when people use their hands to eat instead of cutlery, "it may put them in a more conscious dining experience, let alone intimacy".

Julia Soldati, a chef known for encouraging people to explore the food she offers with their hands, says it's a sensory interactive experience of eating without cutlery.

Many chefs in London are encouraging their guests to try at least some dishes with their hands (Pixels)

Feeling food

Professor Charles Spence, from the University of Oxford, said: "Giving up cutlery is the secret to enjoying food; it makes us more aware of what we eat, and the fork separates us from our senses.

Urging her to eat with your hands, Kate N.G. wrote in the British newspaper "Independent": "Before you eat a burger sandwich with your hands and take a bite, notice how you feel it on your fingertips as you press to make sure the bread is fresh and sesame, check the lettuce, onions, cheese and tender steak; then think about how different it would be if you used a fork and knife."

"Getting food into my mouth with my hands is a very enjoyable experience that encourages me to think about every bite, from the flavors and textures I prefer, to the amount I can eat," she said.

Direct tactile contact may make food taste better when eaten with hands, "but it depends on who eats and what they eat, eating habits and physical differences from person to person."

But what is certain is that eating food directly by hand "affects sensations of taste, smell or flavor, and provides more accurate information than is available to the eye to assess its freshness, maturity, softness or temperature."

There can also be real pleasure associated with the feeling of food, available to the hands by touching what we eat, such as "the warm grainy touch that increases our enjoyment of bread when we eat it; or the feeling of silky tomato peel between our fingers as we bite it like an apple, and the same with a boiled egg dipped in salt."

Celebrity American chef Alice Waters enjoyed eating salad with her hands, describing her experience as "sensual, practical and thought-provoking: when you eat with your hands, you engage your senses in learning about your food."

Giving up cutlery is the secret to enjoying food (Shutterstock)

Health Benefits of Eating by Hands

Professor Spence said: "It has been scientifically proven that eating with hands brings a lot of health benefits. Eating by hand is more than just a tradition associated with ancient civilizations, but a behavior that contributes to healthy eating and well-being, according to the site "NDTV" including:

  • It stimulates digestion, through the production of digestive enzymes and juices in the mouth and stomach, which makes food digestion more efficient, and reduces indigestion, bloating and gas.
  • It prevents overeating, as it makes us more aware of the texture, taste and smell of food, which may increase satisfaction and satiety levels, reduce overeating, and help maintain a healthy weight.
  • Lowering blood sugar levels, the way you eat has been shown to "affect the glycemic response of healthy adults." Eating with hands can slow down the pace of eating, lowering blood sugar and preventing high sugar levels in people with diabetes.
  • Boosts immunity, through exposure to some beneficial bacteria found on the skin and mouth, to protect against harmful pathogens and infections, and strengthen the immune system.