Why the Map of the Tongue Is Wrong

And How It Got That Way

ONLY THE FOUR BASIC tastes — sweet, sour, bitter, and salty — are perceived in the mouth, though some would argue for the addition of other tastes, such as metallic or the meaty taste that the Japanese call umami, represented by MSG. The rest of flavor is aroma, perceived by smelling before tasting or through vapors rising from the back of the mouth int…