The Gift of Deliciousness: How Taste, Flavor, and Pleasure Contribute to Human and Planetary Health

ABSTRACT The paper focuses on what can be called the problem of deliciousness . When examining serious food‐related problems such as justice and equity, nutrition and health, and sustainability and the environment, some regard taste, more specifically deliciousness, as problematic. However, as this paper shows, human pleasure in food is vital to a healthy and sustainable food system. After investigating the history of the term deliciousness, the paper proceeds to examine both negative and positive aspects of deliciousness for human and planetary health. While delectable tastes can be problematic, deliciousness is ultimately a positive gift that not only provides pleasure, commensality and conviviality, but is central to human and planetary well‐being. What all people are entitled to is not just “food,” it is pleasure which is not only complementary but integral to health and sustainability.