What is tast?

Taste is one of the five senses that humans possess and it refers to the ability to perceive flavor and texture of food substances in the mouth. Taste buds located on the tongue, throat, and mouth, are the sensory organs that help in detecting different tastes. There are five basic tastes that human can perceive: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (savory). Each taste is detected by specific taste receptors in the tongue. Sweetness is detected at the tip of the tongue, sourness is detected on the sides of the tongue, saltiness is detected on the front part of the tongue, bitterness is detected at the back of the tongue, and umami is detected in the middle part of the tongue. Apart from these five basic tastes, there are other tastes such as metallic taste that can be detected occasionally. The perception of taste varies from person to person, with some individuals being more sensitive to certain tastes than others. Additionally, what we eat or drink can also affect our sense of taste. For instance, when we consume sweet or salty food frequently, our taste buds may become desensitized to these flavors, and we may require stronger flavors to perceive the taste.