Sometimes it’s that delicious smell coming from a nearby restaurant that makes you suddenly crave their food. You have probably experienced walking past a fried chicken or donut place and feeling yourself suddenly drawn in by the enticing smell. Smell is a powerful tool which restaurants can take advantage of to attract customers. 

In this article, we explore the role that aroma plays in the dining experience, focusing on sesame oil in particular. We will also introduce some practical ways you can make the most of the aromatic scent of sesame oil to enhance your menu and increase sales. 

The Effect of Smell on Dining Experiences 

A Close Connection: Taste and Smell 

As anyone who has ever had a cold or hay fever knows, food can seem to lose its flavor when your nose is congested. This is because people rely not only on taste but also on smell to fully perceive flavors. Scent therefore plays an essential role in determining how our food tastes. 

Cooking oils can have a significant impact on aroma. Making use of the natural fragrance of cooking oils effectively can enable restaurants to enhance their current menus and develop new offerings, potentially increasing revenues. 

Sesame Oil: A Cooking Oil with a Distinctive Aroma.

Characterized by a robust, fragrant aroma, it is widely used across Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cuisines in a range of dishes such as stir-fried and deep-fried dishes, as well as in dressings and side dishes. 

Enhance Your Menu with Sesame Oil 

As we explained above, the characteristic aroma of sesame oil is a simple way to bring out new flavors in both existing and new dishes.

How sesame oil can be used to enhance menu items: 

Add Authentic Asian Flavor

Adding sesame oil to standard cooking oils such as canola oil can give dishes a fragrant roasted sesame scent for increased depth of flavor, suitable for stir-fries and even fried foods such as tempura.

Add Depth to Lighter Dishes

A small drizzle over salads, chilled noodles, or lightly dressed dishes can add a layer of complexity and transform the flavor profile of your dish.

Create New Dishes Fast

Simple side dishes seasoned only with sesame oil and salt can highlight the robust sesame aroma, opening up a range of possibilities for easy yet distinctive new menu items.

Craft New Sauces and Condiments

The distinctive aroma of sesame oil won’t get lost even when paired with strongly flavored ingredients. It works well for creating unique new flavors when mixed with condiments such as crunchy chili oil or leek-based condiments.

Spice Up Your Menu

The fragrant aroma of sesame oil pairs well with a surprisingly wide variety of ingredients. One such example is rice, making it an easy way to spice up classic favorites such as onigiri rice balls or seasoned rice dishes such as takikomi gohan. 

As we have seen, sesame oil can help restaurants diversify menus, create new twists on current favorites, and increase both average spending per customer and overall sales. 

For a subtler, more refined sesame aroma or when creating Western-inspired dishes, we particularly recommend blended sesame oils such as Nisshin Ginjirushi Tenho Sesame Oil. 

To learn more, see: The Real Potential of Blended Oils with Seasoned or Low-Sesame Formulations. 

Attract More Customers with Sesame Oil 

The pleasant fragrance of sesame oil is known to stimulate the appetite. This can help you not only by attracting more customers, but also by allowing you to create new and improved menu items that will keep your customers coming back for more.  

Nissin Superior Sesame Oil is a unique blend of canola oil and sesame oil, carefully formulated to give you a balanced, refined sesame aroma. Despite its lower sesame content, it delivers an appealing roasted sesame aroma which works great both with fresh and cooked dishes. Its versatility makes it a great choice for a variety of dishes across a range of styles and cuisines. 

This sesame oil blend delivers not only balanced flavor, but also a lower-cost alternative to pure sesame oil, allowing restaurants to expand menus at an affordable price and protect their bottom line.