Understanding how foods and beverages behave in the mouth requires more than traditional friction measurements; it calls for tribological methods that capture the biological and sensory complexity of oral processing. In this talk, I will present our efforts to overcome current limitations in food tribology by developing experimental platforms that better mimic the mouth. These include mucin-coated surfaces that replicate the natural salivary pellicle for reliable friction testing, and in-situ fluorescence microscopy to visualise how fats and proteins move within soft contacts in real time. Together, these techniques have been applied across a range of food systems, from plant-based milks and carbonated drinks to protein-rich formulations, revealing how composition, structure, and surface interactions shape sensory perception.