The Maillard reaction is responsible for browning of your food when cooked at high temperatures, creating hundreds of complex flavor and aromatic compounds. Think of a juicy steak sizzling in a hot pan, the golden crust on freshly baked bread, or even a marshmallow toasted over a fire—that's the Maillard reaction in action!
More precisely, the Maillard reaction is a series of non-enzymatic chemical reactions between amino acids and reducing sugars. The term was coined in 1912 by French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard while studying the development of flavor and color in cooked foods.
