The sense of taste
The
sense of taste is one of a person's five senses. We taste with the help of
taste-buds in the tongue.
There
are four main kinds of taste: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. All other tastes
are just mixtures of two or more of these main types.
The
surface of the tongue has more than fifteen thousand taste-buds (or cells).
These are connected to the brain by special nerves which send the so-called
'tastes messages.
When
the tongue comes into contact with food of any kind, the taste-buds will pick
up the taste. The nerves then send a message to the brain. This will make us
aware of the taste. All this happens in just a few seconds.
There
are four kinds of taste-buds, each of which is sensitive to only a particular
taste. These four groups are located in different parts of the tongue.
The
taste-buds for salty and sweet tastes are found round the tip of the tongue and
along its sides. Sour tastes can be picked up only at the sides of the tongue.
The taste-buds of the bitter taste are found at the innermost edge of the
tongue. There are taste-buds at the centre of the tongue.