Gourmand syndrome

Gourmand syndrome is a rare, benign condition that sometimes occurs in people who sustain injuries to the right frontal lobe. These people develop a new, post-injury passion for gourmet food. It was first described by Regard and Landis in the journal Neurology. It is characterized by a right hemisphere brain lesion and a obsessive focus on eating, thinking, talking, and writing about fine foods. However, it is not associated with an increase in appetite.

The most famous case of gourmand syndrome developed in a Swiss stroke patient. After his release from the hospital he immediately quit his job as a political journalist and took up the profession of food critiquing.