Introduction

My sweet tooth defined my childhood. Yellow watermelon so sugary it made my teeth ache. Snow cones dripping neon blue at the pool. Cinnamon rugelach made by my grandmother’s hand, the pastry meltingly tender. I can still remember the frisson of frozen Sugar Babies popped lazily into my mouth, as though summer—life itself—would never end, and the first lemon meringue pie I made for my father, glorious even though it wept. Apples and honey and honey cake at the Jewish New Year; macaroons (my madeleines!) and fruit jellies at Passover. Taste is a locus of memory that helps us recapture our past and connect us to the stories of others. While tasting occurs entirely in our heads—in our mouths, our noses, and brains—it is also part heart. And when the taste is sweet, it triggers a powerful, positive response in nearly all mammals (cats being the notable exception).