Tasting menus at fancy restaurants usually have 6-7 courses but all in small quantities. Did you ever wonder why?

When we eat, our brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is responsible for feeling pleasure. That's what makes us enjoy food. Nonetheless, studies have shown that the release of dopamine decreases after the 6th bite we take, making us perceive our food less pleasurable than when we started eating.

Chefs have tapped into this knowledge and used it for tasting menus to create an all round dopaminergic/pleasurable feeling throughout the eating experience. Cooking is art but it also is science.