aeroir

English

Etymology

aero- +‎ terroir (“the complete set of local conditions in which a particular wine or family of wines is produced”). Coined by American freelance writer Nicola Twilley working with the Center for Genomic Gastronomy at or before 2015.

Noun

aeroir (countable and uncountable, plural aeroirs)

1. (neologism) The taste or flavor of the air associated with a particular place or environment.
   • 2015 November 23, Jeffrey Edalatpour, “Smog-Infused Meringues and Tacos Tell the Truth about the Air We Eat”, in KQED‎^[2], archived from the original on 2022-12-19:

     Each city, region and country has a specific Aeroir, or combination of potentially harmful elements, such as hydrocarbons, soot or sulfur.

   • 2016 November 16, Nina Levent, Irina D. Mihalache, “Last Course of the Volume”, in Food and Museums, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 348:

     The Smog Tasting project is part of a larger body of research into "aeroir" […]

   • 2018 May 9, “The 2018 University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt List”, in The University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt‎^[3], archived from the original on 2022-11-30:

     142. A set of three smog meringues that capture the different aeroirs of Chicago. [30 non-toxic points]

   • 2018 July 1, Nicola Twilley, “Exploring Aeroir, or the Atmospheric Taste of Place”, in Food and Landscape: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2017, Prospect Books, →ISBN, page 55:

     Her research made us wonder: is street food so spicy and boldy flavoured in order to make up for the aeroir in which is it served, like a kind of anti-smog seasoning?

   • 2020 November 23, Satarupa Paul, “Here's What Air Pollution Tastes Like, According to Two Artists”, in VICE‎^[4], archived from the original on 2021-01-18:

     Since then, the project has grown to include a range of methods for sensing, analysing and evaluating the unique atmospheric taste of a place—or "aeroir".

   • 2020 November 24, Cathrine Kramer, Emma Conley, Zack Denfeld, “Unhinged, Bonkers, and Delicious”, in NEO.LIFE‎^[5], archived from the original on 2022-07-06:

     For example, we rolled out a Smog Synthesizer, which simulates "aeroir," the smell and flavor of air pollution from various places and times.

Further reading

• “aeroir” (US) / “aeroir” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.