While there may be a vast array of aroma categories, generally only four tastes have historically been considered: bitter, salty, sour, and sweet. There really is no precise definition of "basic taste"; these four only differentiate and describe common taste sensations. Bitter tastes come from alkaloids, such as contained in coffee and quinine (tonic water). Salty tastes, by far the most common in prepared foods, come from sodium (table salt, smoked meats or fish, baked goods, canned foods, soft drinks…). Sour tastes come from acids (citric in oranges, grapefruit, etc., malic in apples, pears, lactic in dairy products). Sweet comes from sugars, sucrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, etc.
Taste has historically been one of the least understood sensory mechanisms. Misinterpretations of research conducted in the late 1800s, led to "tongue maps" that suggested that the basic tastes are sensed primarily by specific areas, such as the tip or center. Subsequent investigation proved that taste buds on the entire surface of the tongue can sense all of the various tastes.
Tastes are sensed by nerve receptors called buds and there are about 9,000 of them on the average tongue. Combinations of tastes, along with the accompanying combined aromas, account for different flavors. Taste compounds have smaller molecules than those of odors and, unlike odors, must be hydrophyllic, water-soluble.
Sensitivity to specific tastes varies considerably with individuals. It is possible in fact to be taste-blind. The test uses a chemical called phenylthiocarbamide, which tastes extremely bitter to some persons and quite bland to others.
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