The suspicion that equal access to health, creativity, and environmental adaptation depends on primary educational processes led us to conduct this study with children aged 3 to 5 of both genders but from different social classes. We focused on children from schools in the city of Porto: one located in the periphery and publicly funded, and the other a private school in a central area. All 34 children underwent an organoleptic survey, where they were asked to smell (blindfolded) a selection of products from contemporary Portuguese gastronomy to assess their level of organoleptic literacy. The results showed a clear superiority in the organoleptic repertoire of the economically more privileged group, which translated into a more remarkable ability to adapt to different stimuli and, consequently, greater freedom of choice. We believe that the asymmetry in what we are accustomed to eating profoundly affects human and social development. This leads to adults with varying capacities for environmental adaptation and, consequently, different aptitudes for development and prosperity—not only economically but also in terms of well-being. Thus, we argue that the state fundamentally promotes democracy through equal access to wealth by fostering an organoleptic culture in schools. This can be achieved through school canteen services, educational programs, and complementary learning activities, which, according to Inês Ferreira (2016), were to the 20th century what creative activities would be to the 21st century. This study is part of a doctoral research project in food design conducted at the University of Aveiro under the supervision of ID+, Institute for Research in Design, Media, and Culture.

ID+, Institute for Research in Design, Media, and Culture

published