We talk a lot about taste and flavor in the wine industry. How a wine tastes is one of the reasons why we enjoy what we do! That being said, understanding the mechanics of how humans process and perceive flavor can actually help us enjoy our favorite pastime even more!
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR TASTE BUDS AND THE TONGUE
There are about 10,000 taste buds which are on the papillae. The tongue has four different types of papillae that make the tongue feel rough.
Each taste bud has tiny hairs that pick up signals from the foods we eat. When food mixes with saliva on your tongue, it bathes the taste buds and the receptor hairs pick up the taste signal and send it to your brain to interpret.
The areas of the tongue with the most taste buds are the tip of the tongue and the sides of the tongue though there are some taste buds scattered all over the tongue.
The “taste signal” is sent up a nerve fiber to the brain that tells us if we like what we tasted.
There are at least 5 basic taste types; sweet, salty, sour (like lemons and limes which make your cheeks pucker), bitter (like unsweetened chocolate), and umami (like beef or soy sauce).
Every taste bud has the sensory receptors for each of our 5 tastes.
Taste Buds are located in only 3 of the 4 types of Papillae:
Fungiform papillae are found all over the top and sides of the tongue. They are mushroom-shaped.
Foliate papillae look like grooves to sides of the tongue in back.
Circumvallate papillae are lined up in the back of the tongue. There are up to 14 found there.