And though the ingredients are simple and the tools primitive, it might just be the best food you’ve ever tasted. But why does food taste better by a campfire? “You’re fully experiencing the results of the cooking and of the eating.”Flavor, Dunn notes, is not just a matter of taste buds. Around a campfire, you’re not just tasting the food; you’re breathing in a full cloud of aromatic particles, both from the dish and the fire itself. Harlan SchwartzWhy nature heightens flavorBeyond food, the campfire experience is about place, body, and mind.