I truly believe with my whole heart (and stomach) that food only tastes as good as the music that it’s cooked to.

A béchamel turns out silkier if you’re swaying to Sinatra while you whisk. And early-Shania’s twang, when sung into your wooden spoon pre-stir, seasons soups with that dash of extra flavor. I know that sounds like Hallmarkian, romanticized woo woo, but I honestly believe it.

So in an effort to prove myself right, I dug into the science. As it turns out, the correlation is actually really well researched.

Table of Contents

• What do you want to see?

• How music and food are connected

But first, a quick pulse check!

ICYMI, my name’s Saanya and I’m the founder of SOIRÉE—a platform, supper club, newsletter, and social community dedicated to reviving the “lost art of entertaining” and making food (and the culture around it) FUN!

A new year means time to reflect, reach out, and recalibrate, so here’s my ask to you—What do you want to see?

Do you love the recipes or the product round ups? The trivia questions or the historical deep dives. Would you prefer to see more graphics and videos or do story times and bullet points suit you? When we dive into the science of “why?” do you care or scroll?

I am so unbelievably grateful to get to write about my favorite topic in the world—food and the many ways in which it connects us—every week for nearly 100,000 friends, but I wouldn’t be here without you, so I’d be so grateful if you could reply to this email or DM me on Instagram (@justsoiree) with any topics, feedback, or ideas you have!

If voting is easier, just reply with the letter(s) of the suggestion you want to see!

A. Monthly community recipe challenges (winner gets featured in the next letter!)

B. City-specific supper club meetups

C. Collaborative Spotify playlists for every occasion

D. Food science deep dives that help make cooking feel more intuitive

E. Seasonal hosting “How To” guides

F. Stories and tips from chefs and other foodie stars

G. An audio component so you can listen to the newsletter rather than read it

Mad Science: Your Tongue Has Spotify Premium

Remember when scientists discovered that airplane food tastes different at altitude? Well, it turns out there's similar sorcery at play when it comes to your dinner playlist. 

Research from Oxford University found that background music can influence taste perception by up to 10%. The bass notes in Super Trooper can literally make your bolognese taste richer, and on the flip side, the best, most decadent, Michelin-star meal can make your stomach churn if the playlist goes from sultry piano to death metal. 

The science behind the sonic seasoning

• Fast tempo music (>120 BPM) makes food taste sweeter

• Lower pitches enhance bitter flavors

• Classical music makes wine taste more expensive

• Songs you love release dopamine that makes everything taste better

• High-pitched sounds enhance sweet and sour tastes

• Bass notes amplify umami and bitter flavors

• Volume affects intensity of flavor (the louder the music, the more muted the taste)

• Harmony and dissonance in music can make food taste more or less pleasant

TLDR—Your brain processes taste and sound in neighboring regions, and they're gossipy neighbors, constantly talking to one another. 

Ok, but what does this look like in practice?

Classical

Because classical music makes everything taste more expensive, studies show that people will spend up to 40% more on wine when it is playing. Essentially, your two buck chuck can end up giving Grand Cru if Bach is on.

Jazz

Jazz enhances complexity in flavor. That means that when you’re nodding along to “those subtle notes of whatever-the-sommelier-said-you-should-taste,” if Thelonious Monk is on, you’re more likely to actually perceive them. Jazz brings flavors forward. 

Pop

Pop music speeds up your eating pace and makes sweet flavors pop. This explains why you demolish the granola bar on your walk to the gym, listening to your pump up playlist.

Low-tempo

Low tempo music makes you eat slower and taste more mindfully. It forces you to slow down and savor.

How To Create Your Perfect Hosting Soundtrack

There's a reason "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire makes an appearance at every dinner party ever. Certain songs have the "golden ratio" of dinner party prerequisites:

1. Tempo between 115-125 BPM (the sweet spot for background music)

2. Recognizable enough to spark joy, but not so iconic it demands a singalong

3. Lyrics that won't make anyone's grandmother blush

4. A groove that makes washing dishes feel like a movie

After years of trial and error, here's my formula for the perfect dinner party playlist:

Pre-Dinner Prep: High-energy, kitchen-dancing essential. This is your "getting in the zone" music. Think: Talking Heads, ABBA, whatever makes you feel like you’re in an early 2000s training or getting ready montage.

Aperitif Hour: Light jazz or French café music. You want guests to feel like they've walked into a bistro in the Marais, not a club in Ibiza.

First Course: Mid-tempo instrumental or soft vocals. Conversation is just starting to flow—don't compete with it.

Main Course: This is where you can get playful. Build energy gradually with crowd-pleasers that don't demand attention but spark joy when noticed.

Dessert: Return to softer, warmer tunes. Think Nina Simone, Nat King Cole—music that feels like a good dessert wine.

Clean-up: High-energy classics. Nothing gets dishes done faster than ABBA.

Pro Tips for Sonic Success:

• Create playlists longer than you think you need

• Consider your acoustics and test volume levels from different spots in the room

• Have a backup playlist

• Read the room (be ready to pivot if your carefully curated jazz playlist is putting people to sleep)

• Like any good recipe, adjust to taste

Foodie Books, Movies, and Podcasts to Read, Watch, and Listen to in 2025

(I’ve linked secondhand and small business bookshops for each!)

For Food History Enthusiasts

• "Consider the Fork" by Bee Wilson—A journey through the evolution of cooking tools and how they shaped human civilization and culture

• "Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine" by Sarah Lohman—Follows eight influential flavors that transformed American cooking, combining historical research with culinary science

For Food Science Aficionados

• "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" by Samin Nosrat—Breaks down the fundamental elements of good cooking through science and practice

• "The Food Lab" by J. Kenji López-Alt—Combines rigorous testing with scientific principles to improve home cooking

For Food World Anthropologists

• "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain—The raw, unvarnished truth about professional kitchens and restaurant life

• "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan—Examines how modern food systems have changed our relationship with eating

• "The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu" by Dan Jurafsky—Explores how food language shapes our dining experiences

• "The Secret Life of Groceries" by Benjamin Lorr—Behind-the-scenes look at the American food supply chain

• “Taste” and “What I Ate in One Year” by Stanley Tucci—Some of my favorite food writing that just makes me happy to live in a world where Stanley Tucci lives and cooks and writes

Podcasts for Food Lovers

• "Proof" by America's Test Kitchen—Scientific deep dives into food questions

• "Gastropod"—Food through the lens of science and history

• "Milk Street Radio"—Cooking techniques and global food culture

• "The Splendid Table"—Long-running show covering all aspects of food culture

"Radio Cherry Bombe"—Women in food stories

Movies About Food

• "Big Night" (1996)—Two Italian brothers struggling to save their restaurant

• "Tampopo" (1985)—Japanese "ramen western" about the quest for the perfect noodle

• "Like Water for Chocolate" (1992)—Magical realism where emotions infuse cooking

• "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" (2011)—Portrait of sushi master Jiro Ono

• "Chef" (2014)—Story of a chef rediscovering his passion through a food truck

• "The Hundred-Foot Journey" (2014)—Cultural clash between Indian and French restaurants

• "Julie & Julia" (2009)—Parallel stories of Julia Child and a food blogger

• "Ratatouille" (2007)—Animated masterpiece about a rat who becomes a chef

Thank you.

I want to end by saying thank you for another incredible year of food and friends and fun and figuring it all out as we go! 🍽️ From hosting supper clubs and a Surrealist Ball to being on my first podcast, it’s been a whirlwind to say the least. 

We’ve cooked hundreds of meals, read dozens of books on food science and history, learned to start recording everything and commit to social media wholeheartedly (stay tuned for so much more in 2025!). We’ve had our second merch drop, started my favorite Around the World in 180 Groceries series and taken it to 7 cities (and counting!). We’ve hosted a Valentine’s Slumber Party with some of our favorite brands, been on a comedy panel, and partnered with Matchbox on a 40 person Italian Riviera themed picnic and a matchmaking Gatsby, black tie affair in a secret garden. 

Being able to write this newsletter has been the most exciting development though. Merging my newsletter with Dash by Pepper and together, building a community that believes in the power of gathering, the joy of cooking, and the magic that happens when food and people come together has been the highlight of the year and I am so grateful.

Here's to 2025—may your sauces never break, your soufflés never fall, and your kitchen always be filled with dancing. I can’t wait for what’s to come! Remember to reply or DM @justsoiree with suggestions you have for the future of this letter and community!

Xx,

Saanya