How Do We Taste Food? 👅
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Morning Taste Buds!
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Durd!
What did I tell you? No more ice cream!
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84d950bdc2116811b56_Illustration-TASTE_1.webp)
I don't care, you’ve had like 10 of them already.
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![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84c444a5ff3ed1d2fc2_Illustration-TASTE_3.webp)
Jeez…
Say, how do we taste food, anyway?
Well, as many ice cream lovers know, the tongue is crucial for tasting stuff.
See, your tongue is actually a muscle, just like all your other muscles.
Just moist and inside your mouth.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84ce8d34871e88613ee_Illustration-TASTE_4.webp)
But the tongue muscle is special because somehow it can detect stuff.
Stuff like: Oiliness, chewiness, textures, temperatures, and, of course, flavors.
And there are actually 5 different flavors your tongue can taste:
- Sweet
- Salty
- Sour
- Bitter
- Umami (sort of a savory flavor)
These 5 flavors mixed up in different amounts and combos make up every possible taste we can taste.
But how does the tongue actually taste stuff?
Let's take a look at Durd’s tongue.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84ccd718ff24c15c869_Illustration-TASTE_5.webp)
See all those little bumps?
Those are called papillae.
These bumps are packed with tons of little things called… Taste buds!
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84c6c209ca09c8530ec_Illustration-TASTE_6.webp)
These taste buds are found in the grooves and on the walls of the bumps that cover your tongue.
They are super tiny, and each one looks like a bit like this:
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84cfc0dd2dd33f1f494_Illustration-TASTE_7.webp)
Weird…
See those little small hairs, though?
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84c87ad07686f685caf_Illustration-TASTE_8.webp)
These little things are called taste hairs.
So, when you eat some food, little food particles brush past these hairs.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84c39301998cafffb59_Illustration-TASTE_9a.webp)
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84c71097ea32f09c0ce_Illustration-TASTE_9b.webp)
And they detect what flavors are present in the food you just ate.
They then turn the taste of that food into a signal and shoot it up to the brain.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84ceaecff4a0f53f8fc_Illustration-TASTE_10.webp)
Telling you exactly what you're tasting!
Now, some taste buds can only sense one flavor.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84cafa598a25dcccc72_Illustration-TASTE_11.webp)
Others can sense all 5 of them.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/649aa49e57793ed61ecbd3fd/6655a84cee323d7615ddc60d_Illustration-TASTE_12.webp)
Meaning you can only get the full flavor of your food once your brain has gotten a ton of signals from lots and lots of taste buds all over your tongue.
Stay Cute,
Reece, Henry & Dylan 🌈
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