Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter and … Umami?
by Susan Davis on 10/29/09 at 11:35 am
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It's all thanks to your tongue
There’s an old saying that mothers often use to get their small children to eat their food:
“Through the lips and over the tongue, hello tummy, here it comes!”
So to all the foodies who enjoy the sweet and savory flavors of your favorite meals: Have you thanked your tongue lately?
Yes, your tongue.
It’s not a part of our body that usually garners much attention, but without this amazingly complex part of our anatomy, we would not be able to enjoy or experience the rich flavors of our favorite foods.
What makes food taste good?
Do you really know how and why we recognize certain types of tastes and flavors – why a piece of baklava provides a very different sensation than a pickle? It’s all about our tongue, and the almost 10,000 taste buds that reside inside our mouth.
Taste buds work in conjunction with the saliva in our mouth, which helps break down the food that we eat. Receptor cells, located in the taste buds, send messages to our brain, which interprets the flavors.
Our tongue is divided into zones, with each zone responsible for one of the four basic taste sensations: sweet, salty, sour and bitter. The taste buds that recognize sweet and salty foods are located at the front of the tongue. Those that recognize sour sensations are on the sides. The very back of the tongue recognizes bitter foods.
And now … introducting umami!
Although these are the four basic tastes, there is a fifth taste that is relatively new to the Western palate, although the Japanese have known about it for decades. Called “umami,” it detects the presence of glutamate, an amino acid that is present in seaweed and many other Asian foods. Described as “savory” when compared with the original four tastes, many have indicated that it is a “meaty” flavor.
Foods high in umami include aged cheeses (such as Parmesan), mushrooms, tomato products, veal, soy sauce, many kinds of seafood and soup stock made from bones.
Our tastes are continually changing, as we get older. Babies are born with taste buds on their tongue as well as on the sides and roof of their mouth, which means they are sensitive to a variety of different foods. This explains why we didn’t like certain foods as a kid. As we get older, however, our taste buds change, diminish and eventually become less sensitive. This is the reason many senior citizens no longer enjoy eating — their sense of taste is gone.
Although our taste buds are responsible for the pleasant taste sensations we experience, our sense of sight and smell also contribute to the enjoyment of a good feast. They say we eat with our eyes first, which is very true. Looking at the plate of an artfully designed meal psychologically prepares our taste buds for the eating process. And any odors or smells emitted by the food also makes their way to the brain, enhancing the flavors. Researchers have shown that as much as 85 percent of the perception of taste comes from the sense of smell.
Many things affect our sense of taste
Taste can be adversely affected by illness, smoking, vitamin deficiency, chemotherapy, brain tumors, radiation, medication, chemical exposure and a list of other things. That explains why colds adversely affect our sense of taste, and why holding our nose when eating or drinking something unpleasant helps numb the flavor.
Eating is one of our live’s pleasures, so the next time you’re savoring a favorite snack of meal, thank your tongue for making it all possible!
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