There Are Five Basic Tastes, Not Four
Taste is the sense that detects flavour. Umami was recognised as a fifth basic taste only in the twentieth century.
Taste is the sense that detects flavour, and also a personal preference in art or style. The old list of four basic tastes was wrong: Kikunae Ikeda identified *umami*, the savoury taste of glutamate, in 1908, and its receptor was confirmed in 2000. The familiar tongue map showing sweet at the tip and bitter at the back is also wrong — all regions detect all tastes. Most of what we call taste is actually smell, which is why food seems bland with a blocked nose.
- The flavour sense. *A sense of taste.*
- A preference. *Good taste.*
- Umami — the savoury taste. *Umami.*
- To sample. *Taste the sauce.*
- Old French — *taster*, to touch. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | taste | A taste. |
| Verb | taste | Taste it. |
| Adjective | tasty | Tasty. |
| Adjective | tasteful | Tasteful. |
| Adjective | tasteless | Tasteless. |
- It has a bitter taste.Flavour.
- She has excellent taste in music.Preference.
- Umami was identified in 1908.Science.
The five basic tastes
- Sweet — signals energy from sugars
- Salty — signals sodium, needed for nerve function
- Sour — signals acidity, sometimes spoilage
- Bitter — often signals toxins, hence the aversion
- Umami — signals glutamate, meaning protein
Old French *taster*, to touch, feel or try, from Vulgar Latin *taxitare*, from Latin *taxare*, to handle.
Is the tongue map real?
No. The idea that different regions detect different tastes is a misreading of an old German study. All areas detect all tastes.
What is umami?
The savoury taste of glutamate, identified by Kikunae Ikeda in 1908 and confirmed as a distinct basic taste when its receptor was found in 2000.