This seems a bit strange, but a growing body of research is showing that if you were to be served a red dessert – say strawberry ice cream – on a white plate, chances are that you will say it tastes sweeter than if you were to be served that same exact red ice cream on a black plate instead.
Charles Spence, professor of experimental psychology at Oxford University, has conducted similar experiments with pretty much every kind of food and tableware. His conclusion? That in most cases, our experience of food and drink is determined not by tastebuds alone, but by vision as well. Like strawberry ice cream tasting sweeter on a white plate, Spence thinks this is why coffee in a white cup is perceived to taste twice as intense than coffee in a clear cup. Even the spoon used to eat breakfast cereal or yogurt can make it a little bit sweeter or a little bit less depending on the color of that spoon.