You had definitely had sweet tamarind in meals aboard Jet Airways flights, domestic and international, before the massive collapse of the airline. Serving sweet tamarind candies along with inflight meals to all passengers, regardless of travel class and fare type, had been a holy practice for more than 25 years for the airline until 2019. Many travelers still wonder why they were served with those tongue-tantalizing candies during their flights from USA to India and while traveling other routes in the airline’s network.

Jet Airways has resurrected from its fall and is all set to take off for commercial operations starting with daily service between Delhi and Mumbai in the third quarter of this calendar year, as the airline has got security clearance from the government and approval from the Directorate General Civil Aviation. Hope those sweet tamarind candies will be back on board too.

Well, it is known that tamarind is full of good health properties. It helps prevent digestive problems and throat infections. It benefits those having stomach discomfort. It works also as an antidote to heat stroke. Moreover, tamarind is a good source of vitamin C. Tamarind intake curbs airsickness or jet lag during long-haul flights, according to leading health experts. Possibly, these reasons were good enough for Jet Airways to have flavored inflight meals with sweet tamarind candies. 

Motion sickness is common to some travelers during takeoffs and landings. It causes a sinking feeling in the stomach. Prevention of motion sickness is among the health benefits of tamarind intake. In addition to this, tamarind reduces nausea, which is also a common symptom of inflight sickness.

Why sweet tamarind candies are served on Jet Airways flights has another strong reason. Tamarind helps prevent retraction that is bulging of ear drums. Some travelers experience it during takeoff or landing. Difference in air pressure levels outside the ear and the middle ear cavity causes bulging of ear drums, at changing altitudes during a flight. Sweet tamarind candies trigger salivation, thereby causing frequent swallowing – which helps equalize air pressure levels between the outside ear and the middle ear cavity to prevent retraction.

Some inflight chefs opine that passengers of Jet Airways flights were deliberately given sweet tamarind candies instead of mouth fresheners because tamarind is cheaper than any good quality mouth freshener cost wise. Since travelers began to like the tangy and sweet flavor of tamarind candies, it was made an integral part of all meals on Jet Airways flights.

Sweet tamarind candies were previously given to travelers on Air India flights and other airlines in India.

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We at Indian Eagle are back to decode the science behind why fliers crave tomato juice at 35,000 feet above the ground, after revealing the mystery behind omnipresence of sweet tamarind candies in meals served on Jet Airways flights across the world.

The simplest and most common reason is that tomato juice tastes better on a plane than on the ground. Undeniably, food tastes different in the sky than in a non-flight environment. Mostly, the taste of sweet and salty foods changes completely during air travel, according to an Indian Eagle-led survey conducted among travelers on some US to India flights.

More gallons of tomato juice are served than beer in air travel cabins, according to Lufthansa Airlines which serves nearly 53,000 gallons of tomato juice on its flights the world over. What makes food taste change or fliers drink tomato juice on planes is nothing but a science.

Several external factors (outside our body) including low cabin pressure, low cabin humidity and high-decibel noise conspire together to make our olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) senses dull. The less sensitive odor and taste receptor in the human brain find it difficult to detect sweet and salty flavors of airplane food.

According to scientists, low pressure and low humidity decrease the influx of oxygen in our blood, thereby weakening our sense of taste which sends sweet and salty signals to the brain. Besides, changes in air pressure during flight cause mucus in our nasal cavities to expand, which makes it difficult for our taste buds to percept sweet and salty flavors of inflight meals.

Most airlines keep cabin humidity at 10 to 15 percent while flying at high altitudes. Low cabin humidity dehydrates the mouth and the nose to make sweets feel less sweet and salty food less salty on our taste buds. Why curries appeal to our sense of taste at 35,000 feet from above the ground, is a different story. In general, most inflight meals taste a bit dull.

If low pressure, low humidity and high-decibel noise make airplane food taste bland, why tomato juice tastes much better on planes? It is one of the interesting airline food facts.

According to scientists, tomatoes are rich in umami, a unique taste element which is intensified in a noisy environment and which is unaffected by low pressure at high altitudes. This savory flavor is felt intensely in tomato juice served on planes rather than on the ground. Besides, the sweet and salty flavors of tomato juice are enhanced with more spices than usual for consumption on airplanes. Other flavors like cardamom and lemon grass feel stronger on our taste buds during air travel.

For the same reason, airlines used to serve honey-roasted peanuts on planes during long-haul flights a few decades ago. It gave travelers extra sweet and salty flavors for a balanced taste. Tomato juice, a sweet and salty beverage, is a current version of the yesteryear’s honey-roasted peanuts.

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Airline food is one of the enigmatic phenomena in the world. In current times of economic liberty, airplane food is a luxury rather than a need. All thanks to the culinary glamour that ‘Flying Chefs’, ‘Celebrity Chefs,’ ‘Sky Chef,’ ‘Sky Restaurant’ and likes bring to inflight dining! There are many old myths and secret facts of airplane food behind this glittering picture at 30,000 to 40,000 feet in the sky. Some airline food facts and myths have become popular jokes in aviation.

Why does Airplane Food Taste Different?

One of the surprising airplane food facts is that inflight food tastes different from food on ground. If an airline’s inflight meal tastes a little bland at 30,000 feet in the air, don’t blame the airline or its chef. It’s your taste buds that can’s pick sweet and salty flavors of food on planes affected by low cabin air pressure, engine noise and lack of humidity. That’s why Paneer Kofta or Paneer Korma on Indian thalis (meals) served during Air India flights from San Francisco to New Delhi may not taste up to your palate. But the taste of spicy and sour foods like Arabic Lamb Chop on Etihad Airways’ New York to Mumbai flights remains mostly the same at the same height in the sky.

Most airlines provide sound-cancelling headphones on board. Using those headphones during inflight dining can minimize the taste-spoiling effect of engine noise on your food to some extent.

How does Champagne Taste High in the Sky?  

The same is the reason why travelers’ excitement about exclusive champagne in Singapore Airlines’ Premium Economy Class or free beer on United Airlines’ flights drops a little. By the laws of nature, liquids expand and contract due to changing atmospheric pressures at different altitudes. Because of this, airlines spend huge bucks on testing of wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages both on board and on ground by professional testers.

What Food is Served on Delayed Flights?

One of the mythical airline food facts is that airlines serve the food cooked several hours before on flights delayed by 6 to 8 hours. Airlines unload the food from planes and refill planes with fresh food in most cases of long-hour flight delays. Though it is a huge loss, the aviation industry has taken this drastic measure to ensure passengers’ good health and safety, especially after the mishap of Aerolineas Argentinas’s Valentines-Day flight from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles in 1992. 76 out of 336 passengers fell ill and one died due to the contaminated food served during the flight.

That’s why airlines serve special meals to their pilots and co-pilots leaving no possibility of getting them sick during flights. Obviously, it is because of passengers’ safety.    

Are Inflight Meals “Made Fresh”?  

All that glitters is not gold! Likewise, “Made Fresh” stickers on inflight food are nothing but tricks on you. As a rule of thumb, airplane food is prepared 10 hours before it is served in the cabin. That’s why meats are often half cooked when loaded on to the plane and prepared for serving in convention ovens on board. Laughing these airline food facts away, Heather Poole, a flight attendant and author of Cruising Attitude, says that salads and sandwiches are served fresh during flights.

Do Flying Chefs Cook on the Plane?

In contrary to these surprising facts about airline food is the “Flying Chef” service on long-haul US to India flights by major international airlines like Etihad Airways and Turkish Airways. However, the “Flying Chef” service is a premium facility for premium class flyers. Inflight chefs can prepare few selected ready-to-eat dishes due to small galley kitchens and lack of cooking appliances like flying pans, stoves, etc. on the plane.

According to culinary experts in aviation, travelers are served better food on long flights than on short flights within a range of 3 hours. That’s why airlines are more careful about food on international flights than on domestic ones.    

Why is Tomato Juice Popular on the Plane?

Do you ever wonder why most travelers drink tomato juice on planes, one of the secret airplane food facts? According to a clinical study by Lufthansa Airlines, fluctuating air pressure of aircraft cabins makes passengers crave acidity and saltiness, which tomato juice satisfies. Even those who are fond of tomato juice feel like having it because of its sweet and salty content while flying.

Is Luxury Inflight Dining Restricted to Economy Flyers?   

No doubt, there is good food in the skies. Major international airlines offer five-star restaurant-like service and chef-special meals in first and business class travel cabins. By 2015 end, Lufthansa Airlines introduced exclusive meals with restaurant makeover for business class flyers. Though not available on cheap economy flights to India from USA or other routes, travelers can avail the luxury of business class dining by upgrading standard economy-class meals for an additional feel. Airlines such as British Airways, Air France and KLM offer this service. It is one of the secret airline food facts that many economy class travelers are not familiar with.

Inflight meals are designed and cooked in such a way so as to make passengers feel relaxed and fall asleep on long-haul flights. Flight attendant Heather Poole, who has spent two decades in the skies, discards it as one of the old myths of airline food.

Check our FAQs section to know about USA-India international airlines’ inflight facilities, baggage allowances and lounge services. 

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