Top 10 Best Smelling Food on Earth

When somebody sets a steaming pie on a windowsill to cool, the scrumptious smell is bound to attract a hungry bystander. If our world abided by cartoon logic, the smell of this baked good could make a person float off the ground and follow his or her nose to the source. Possessing an inviting scent, pie will immediately have you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. It doesn’t matter if the flavor is apple, blueberry, pumpkin, cherry, or lemon meringue. With the power to put a smile on anyone’s face, the aroma of a freshly baked pie is simply too tempting to resist.

Fried food in general smells delicious, but nothing can top the fragrance of fried chicken. Taking in a whiff of this greasy poultry, you can practically taste its crunchy skin and juicy meat. Granted, the smell alone is enough to tell you that fried chicken is an incredibly fatty and unhealthy dish. The spicy, salty scent is so intoxicating, though, that you’ll be motivated to break your diet regardless. A comfort food classic, the smell of fried chicken is sure to brighten your day. It might make you consider a career at KFC as well… almost.

We now move on from one appetizing bird to another. Nothing is more satisfying than slicing into a moist turkey after smelling and watching it cook in the oven for several hours. Whether you grill it, roast it, smoke it, or deep-fry it, a well-prepared turkey will have you eagerly licking your lips. Since turkey is a staple of Thanksgiving, its scent habitually makes people think about their family, friends, and pretty much everything good in the world. In that sense, the smell of turkey resonates with us all on a sentimental level. Even if you took Thanksgiving out of the equation, however, the heavenly aroma of turkey will still allure dinner guests, especially with the proper seasoning mixture.

Sure, buying a loaf of packaged bread from the supermarket is a lot easier. If you bake your own bread at home, however, you’ll be rewarded with a smell that’s nothing short of blissful. The scent of baked bread naturally overwhelms people with a homey sensation that brings out the best in us all. According to a study published in the Journal of Social Psychology, the smell of freshly baked bread can trigger a positive attitude, thus influencing us to be better people. Who would’ve guessed that passing by a bakery could be so good for the soul? The smell of garlic bread in particular is sure to make your mouth water, although it may leave you with bad breath.

Rolled up in buttery goodness and draped in icy frosting, cinnamon buns certainly look delectable; it just so happens that they taste even better. While cinnamon buns are a treat for all five senses, it’s the lingering smell that really attracts us to these sweet, sweet rolls. Whenever consumers walk by a Cinnabon at an airport or a mall, they can’t help but stop for a moment and take a sniff of the tasty goodies inside. The enticing combination of cinnamon, sugar, and cream cheese is more than enough to make one salivate. Whether it’s your breakfast or dessert, cinnamon buns smell appealing all day every day.

No trip to the movies would be complete without a pit stop at the concession stand. While the candy on display may call out to your sweet tooth, the tantalizing aroma of popcorn is usually impossible to pass up. Popcorn possesses a salty, buttery scent that spreads throughout the entire theater. Standing in line to purchase a bucket, you can almost feel the popped kernels melting in your mouth. Even if you choose to stay home and rent a movie, the delightful smell of popcorn will still tickle your taste buds, whether prepared in a microwave or on a stovetop. Just be careful not to overcook it, as the atrocious smell of burnt popcorn is hard to get rid of.

For many of us, the day doesn’t truly begin until we’ve had a cup of Joe. Before you even take a sip of this caffeinated beverage, the powerful smell of roasted coffee beans will send a jolt of energy to your brain. Coffee’s stimulating scent is more than enough to awaken people from slumber, forcing them to get out of bed in the morning. Entering a coffee shop, the invigorating, robust aroma rejuvenates our weary bodies as if we’ve been plugged into an electrical outlet. Caffeine smells so entrancing and refreshing that many customers will even briefly forget about how expensive Starbucks is.

The succulent smell of barbecued meat has been conflicting vegetarians for eons. There’s a wide variety of meat that a chef can throw on the grill, from beef, to pork, to poultry, to seafood. There are also various barbecuing techniques, such as smoking, braising, and roasting. In any case, barbecued meat emits a savory scent that brings out the carnivore in us all, especially after you spread on some flavorful barbeque sauce. Since barbeques are typically associated with family gatherings and parties, we often associate this smell with the sentiment of togetherness. As a result, people often feel warm and tender when the luscious aroma of grilled meat is in the air. Or ravenous. Either way.

Nothing on this planet smells sweeter than a tray of homemade cookies, be it sugar, peanut butter, or the always-classic chocolate chip. Whenever people catch a whiff of cookies baking in the open, they’re suddenly overcome with the feeling of nostalgia. The sugary, comforting fragrance takes us back to our carefree childhood days when cookies had a way of improving any situation. The scent of cookies warms all of our hearts, ultimately making us feel right at home. There’s a reason why real estate agents use this pleasant smell to entice potential homebuyers looking to start a family.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Curry
- Pizza
- Oranges

In an ideal world, we’d all wake up to the smell of crispy bacon sizzling on the stove. With a fragrance that’s greasy, smoky, and savory, it’s simply the perfect way to start your morning. Of course, bacon smells delicious no matter what time of the day it is. According to CompoundChem.com, there’s actually a scientific reason why bacon smells so darn good. When put on a frying pan, bacon experiences the Maillard Reaction, which causes sugars to respond to amino acids. The subsequent meltdown of the bacon’s fats then creates a flavorful aroma. Did you understand all that? Well, even if you didn’t, we bet that you’re craving a plate of bacon right about now.

Do you agree with our list? What do you think is the best smelling food on Earth? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.