The Power of Scent

The olfactory sense is the one that triggers memories most easily. Certain smells or scents can spin us back through years of memory, to a particular situation or person. So I agree with this week's quote from Christian Morgenstern: "Der Duft der Dinge ist die Sehnsucht, die sie in uns nach sich erwecken."

Which being translated, means: "The scent of things is the yearning they arouse in us." And the memories will be unique to each person.

For me, one of the most evocative scents is that of Gold Block pipe tobacco, which my father has smoked all my life. I only have to catch a whiff of it to think of him. And the scent of new hay takes me back to my countryside childhood, when I used to help bring the bails of hay back to the farm.

For many people, freshly-baked bread is a strong hunger trigger. Which is why many supermarkets which have bakeries pipe it round the store. And the aroma of real coffee is enticing too. Ironically, I adore the smell of real coffee brewing, but prefer the taste of my favourite Free Trade instant.

Scent can also be a negative trigger. When I quit drinking, nearly six years ago, the complicated scent of red wine would fill me with yearning, like Morgenstern says. Even now, I can smell it yards away. But today, I just sigh and move on. And when I was giving up smoking (on the numerous occasions I did so) the scent of someone else's cigarette was a powerful source of temptation.

Which scents fill you with yearning? With sadness? With joy?