Science on Screen®: Babette's Feast and the Science of Taste

At once a rousing paean to artistic creation, a delicate evocation of divine grace, and the ultimate film about food, the Oscar-winning Babette’s Feast is a deeply beloved treasure of cinema and a moving depiction of sensual pleasure. Directed by Gabriel Axel and adapted from a story by Isak Dinesen, it is the lovingly layered tale of a French housekeeper with a mysterious past who brings quiet revolution in the form of one exquisite meal to a circle of starkly pious villagers in late nineteenth-century Denmark. 

This Science on Screen® event will use the lavish, 12-course meal that Babette prepares in the film as a jumping off point for exploring the science of taste.

Professors Chris Loss and Terry Acree (CALS) and PhD student Hetvi Doshi (Human Ecology) will share research perspectives on the complex factors that impact flavor perception and the enjoyment that surrounds our experience of food. Cornell seniors Maria Le and Sarah Langelben will then focus in on three dishes from Babette’s feast and share research on the food chemistry behind and culinary techniques used to create them.

The presentation will also feature a special tasting inspired by the film.

This screening is presented in conjunction with National Evening of Science on Screen®. Science on Screen® is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Babette’s Feast screens in a 35mm print courtesy of Janus Films and Park Circus. Film website: https://www.janusfilms.com/films/1490