Food craving in a cultural context: behavioral and electrophysiological evidence from Indian and Western food sets

Introduction Food craving is a ubiquitous experience, often shaped by cultural familiarity. Although craving may be considered a culture-bound construct, its neural and behavioral underpinnings across food cultures remain limited. Here, we examined the effects of multisensory food exposure on craving in an Indian population, comparing Indian and Western foods across sweet and savory categories. Methods In Experiment 1 (Indian Food Craving; IFC), participants viewed Indian sweet and savory food images before and after multisensory exposure, reporting desire and willingness-to-pay (bid) ratings along with Food Craving Questionnaire-State (FCQ-S) scores. EEG was recorded using a 64-channel system. In Experiment 2 (Western Food Craving; WFC), participants completed a similar paradigm using Western food items. Results Multisensory exposure significantly increased FCQ-S scores in both experiments, indicating successful craving induction. Behaviorally, desire and bid ratings increased for both sweet and savory Indian foods, whereas for Western foods, increases were observed only for sweet items. ERP analyses revealed increased P200 and N200 amplitudes following exposure to Indian sweet foods, while LPP amplitudes increased for savory foods across both Indian and Western food categories. Complementary MVPA revealed enhanced pre- vs. post-exposure classification for sweet foods during the early (0–300 ms) window for both Indian and Western foods, whereas both sweet and savory foods showed significant classification during the later(300–600 ms) window. Discussion Together, these findings suggest that multisensory exposure modulates food-cue processing in a stimulus- and time-dependent manner, with possible contributions from attentional processes. Overall, the findings highlight the influence of food type and cultural context on craving-related neural and behavioral responses.