This Easter, Cunard partnered with Professor Charles Spence to reveal the science behind this chocolate and sea salt combination, according to a statement.

Professor Spence, a gastrophysicist from the University of Oxford, said that food and drink taste better when having a good time. This is known as the ‘Provencal rose paradox’ which, according to Spence, everyone has experienced at some point in time.

“It relates to the fact that food and drink seem to taste so much better when we are on holiday, whether this is with our family in the Mediterranean, or traveling solo with the sun on our backs,” said Spence. 

“So nice in fact, that we are even tempted to buy a few bottles of that same holiday wine, to bring back home and share on a cold winter’s evening. Only it never tastes the same; it is disappointing somehow.

“The reason is that when we are on holiday, we are likely to be relaxed and in a better mood, and food simply tastes better when we are in a better mood. Given that people don’t often cruise for work, they are likely to be happy and relaxed on their cruise hence making food and drink taste better.”

Salt is known as a flavor enhancer, helping to mask bitterness in certain foods or drinks such as tonic water or grapefruit, while enhancing the taste of many other foods including chocolate. However, according to Spence, salt is not the only factor that enhances the taste as even seeing, smelling, and hearing the sea may also conceptually prime notions of saltiness too, thus enhancing the sensation even more.

Lee Powell, vice president, brand and product at Cunard said: “Special occasions deserve special ingredients, and when it comes to Easter, the onboard teams on each of our three Queens go above and beyond to create a suitably indulgent celebration. Our skilled chefs will be creating incredibly elegant chocolate figurines and desserts, our bars will be serving chocolate cocktails and guests will enjoy chocolate treats across the weekend, including a total of almost 6,500 chocolate bunnies!”