While we only have 5 ‘tastes’, smell is also a major component of how we experience food, and this is what creates ‘flavour’. It is detected through the olfactory glands in the nose through the nasal cavity inside the mouth. Without a sense of smell onion tastes almost identical to apple.
CaptainCatamaran t1_jabvx70 wrote
Reply to ELI5: If the tongue can only taste five basic flavors (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami), why isn't it possible to create any flavor by mixing those five together in precise combinations? by bokbokboi
While we only have 5 ‘tastes’, smell is also a major component of how we experience food, and this is what creates ‘flavour’. It is detected through the olfactory glands in the nose through the nasal cavity inside the mouth. Without a sense of smell onion tastes almost identical to apple.