The Key to Enjoying an Oreo? Nostalgia, According to Gastronomy Director

Popular Mechanics was in search of a quantifiable answer to an uncommon question: What makes Oreos delicious?

Students in the BU MET Master of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy program know that food is both a hard science and a social one, so perhaps it was little surprise when Dr. Megan Elias, who directs the program, cited nostalgia as key to the cookie’s allure.

“[Oreos might] remind you of that period of your life when you were looked after,” Elias told Popular Mechanics. “It’s an escape hatch into a time when someone cared for you. Biting into an Oreo is like your brain saying, ‘somebody loves you.’”