Different sections of tongue do NOT actually detect different types of tastes!

This myth is commonly proliferated by diagrams (like the one on the right) which depict a tongue’s primary senses of taste: sourness, sweetness, bitterness, saltiness, and savoriness (umami). These pictures typically show a tongue separated into quadrants by taste, but each of its 10,000 taste buds are identical! Every one of these buds contains 50-100 specialized receptor cells, each with a specialized taste hair that sticks out and detects food chemicals in saliva. Each test hair is programmed to respond to one of the five basic tastes, and when a hair is stimulated, it sends nerve impulses to the brain.Check what this BBC science article had to say about the matter:

Your mouth contains around 10,000 taste buds, most of which are located on and around the tiny bumps on your tongue. Every taste bud detects five primary tastes:

* Sour
* Sweet
* Bitter
* Salty
* Umami – salts of certain acids (for example monosodium glutamate or MSG)

Each of your taste buds contains 50-100 specialised receptor cells. Sticking out of every single one of these receptor cells is a tiny taste hair that checks out the food chemicals in your saliva. When these taste hairs are stimulated, they send nerve impulses to your brain. Each taste hair responds best to one of the five basic tastes.

Tastes and flavours

For you to enjoy the full flavour of a sizzling Sunday roast or a rich chocolate mousse, you need more than your basic tastes. You also require your sense of smell. If you have a cold, the lining of your nose swells and you temporarily lose your sense of smell. Even though your tongue is still able to identify the basic tastes, the food you eat will taste bland.

Additionally, temperature and texture influence how much you appreciate foods. When you eat ‘hot’ foods like chilli peppers, you actually excite the pain receptors in your mouth.