1966 WDEC - Aroma

I'm not sure I understand the point of having an entry for "aroma" in a cookbook - it's like having an entry for "taste." But the editors of the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery devoted three paragraphs to the topic. They tell us that aroma is usually applied to food, that it means a "fragrance which is more penetrating and persuasive than a smell, and with none of the negative meaning sometimes associated with the words smell and odor." We are encouraged to conduct the experiment of smelling a clove (pleasant) and then biting into it (not so, for most people). And they encourage us to use aroma to access our selves, as "few things are as evocative as the aroma of a certain food or drink; it may recall experiences long forgotten." Which is why I try to avoid the aroma of Genesee Cream Ale, the swill of choice for my early high school cohort, if at all possible.