The Tastes: How Many?

It used to be said that there were four basic tastes that the human tongue could detect: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. All tastes were simply mixes of these four tastes, along with aromas picked up by the nose.

Nowadays many specialists posit a fifth taste called umami. Umami can be described as the taste of meaty or savory or delicious. It is a sensation that the food is somehow "full" -- it is undecided whether this taste really exists or not, though monosodium glutamate (MSG) seems to stimulate it.

According to ayurvedic food practices, the tongue can detect 6 tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungeant, and astringent. In this theory of eating, all meals should include all 6 of these tastes to be fulfilling.