GLOSSARY

Taste (gustation) is the chemical sense of perceiving the taste of substances dissolved in saliva through the taste buds, helping us choose nutritious food and avoid toxic substances.

The Five Basic Tastes

• Sweet: signals energy (sugars).
• Salty: signals sodium and electrolytes.
• Sour: signals acids (and sometimes spoilage).
• Bitter: signals possible toxins; the most sensitive taste.
• Umami: a “savoury” or “meaty” taste, signalling glutamate and protein.
• Other possible tastes: fat and starch (under research).

Scientific Correction

The “tongue map”, which claims that each taste is perceived only in one specific area of the tongue (sweet at the tip, bitter at the back), is a myth; all areas of the tongue that have taste buds detect all tastes.

Flavour Versus Taste

Flavour results from combining taste, smell (especially retronasal smell from the mouth), texture, temperature, and pungency (pain from capsaicin); roughly