THE SWEET TASTE

As a naturally appealing element of our diets, this requires little explanation. It is the flavor of sugars such as glucose, sucrose, fructose, maltose and lactose. Sweetness can be found in fruits, vegetables, grains (like rice), nuts (like cashews) and legumes (like garbanzo beans).

THE SOUR TASTE

This taste is also quite familiar. We often “pucker” when we encounter the sour taste. It immediately moistens the mouth and increases the flow of saliva. Sourness is found in grapefruit, lemon, lime and tamarind, tomatoes and pickled vegetables, and dairy foods such as feta cheese, sour cream and yogurt.

THE SALTY TASTE

This taste is almost singularly derived from salt, making it easy to identify in our diets. However, other sources of saltiness include celery and seaweed.

THE PUNGENT TASTE

This dry heat taste may be less familiar, although it can be found in many foods, including chilies, garlic, leeks, onions, mustard greens, radishes, turnips and raw spinach, buckwheat and spelt, and mustard seeds. Most herbs and spices are pungent, especially black pepper, cardamom, cayenne, cloves, ginger and paprika.

THE BITTER TASTE

The bitter taste is quite familiar as a taste that most people avoid. Good examples include leafy greens such as kale, collards, dandelion greens and eggplant. Sesame, coffee, and dark chocolate, as well as spices such as cumin, dill, fenugreek, saffron and turmeric are good sources of bitterness.

THE ASTRINGENT TASTE

This dry flavor immediately produces a dry, chalky sensation in the mouth. The astringent taste is frequently complimented by sweetness or sourness. Fruit, such as apples, green bananas, cranberries and pomegranate are astringent. So are vegetables like alfalfa sprouts, Brussels sprouts, raw broccoli and cabbage, as well as spices like basil, bay leaf, caraway, coriander, dill, fennel, marjoram, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, poppy seeds and rosemary.