Aside from the mentioning of your last savory slice of pizza, there is something engrossing about the aroma of it. Whether you are walking down a city street, passing a neighbor's apartment, or passing a restaurant, you know the familiar smells and it usually starts a lasting craving. There is something comforting about baked foods and pizza is one of them.
Whether you know what you want to eat for your next meal, and whether it is 6:00 A.M. or 6:00 P.M. when you are struck with a whiff of pizza on a city street, in your neighborhood, or in your apartment building you want more. It doesn't matter if you just ate, are about to eat something different or are in the middle of eating at the moment you smell that savory, aromatic pie; you want more. There is something so warmly familiar and emotionally aromatic about the scent of a baking or freshly baked pizza. Yet, what is it - if there is just one thing - about this particular food, which can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, that makes mouths water every time and ignite cravings where there was none prior. The craving that arises is typically the type that must be squelched by consumption of the particular food. This is the power that the aroma of this particular food has over the youngest and the oldest of those who enjoy it.
The seductive qualities of the aroma of pizza are comprised of the combination of ingredients being heated and their connection to your memories of tasting that combination. The baking dough captures the sensations of warmth and comfort that accompany the scent of fresh bread. Meanwhile the sauce harkens back to memories of Sunday dinners with the wafts of cooking herbs and tomatoes. Then there are the familiar topping aromas of pepperoni, sausage, and ham. In addition, there are of course cheese and vegetables present but some of the most basic and pungent elements of the aromas that capture our attention are the bread, the sauce and the meats that make us salivate.
We know the smell of this particular savory pie automatically. It tests our memories by activating our senses through sight, smell, and taste. Meanwhile, the smell of cooking burgers could mean any type of meat preparation and has to be accompanied by the visual of a burger restaurant sign. Yet, the smell of cooking pizza can come from a home, cafeteria, or eatery - it doesn't matter - it will ignite a momentary or lasting craving from the scent alone no matter what the source.
Maybe pizza restaurants have special ventilation ducts that gradually release air out to the street so that it lingers and wafts towards crowds and residences just to keep you hooked. It works at least one out of three times, for each person who loves it, and that's what keeps it so popular with so many.
