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Salty
Saltiness of course comes from… salt, or sodium chloride. We as a species have used salt since as far back as 6050 BC! Because of its addictive properties, salt became an extremely valuable item for trade. The taste of salt comes primarily from the sodium ion. Other mineral salts made of potassium or magnesium can also make something taste salty. In fact, the “saltiest salt” is actually made from ammonium.
Sour
If something is sour, that means that there are acidic solutions, such as in lemons, or organic acids. The actual sensation of something being sour is caused by a hydrogen molecule being split from an acid when dissolved in a watery substance. Foods and ingredients such as citrus, gooseberries, and vinegar are all sour foods. Fun fact: lemons and vinegar can be used as cleaning agents due to their acid’s antibacterial and antiseptic properties!
Bitter
The taste of bitter foods is hard to pin down. In total, there are around 35 different ways for the body to sense bitterness. Early humans used the ability to detect bitter foods for survival. Many poisonous plants are recognised as being bitter, thus making them unpleasant for our early humans to eat. Overall, most bitterness is caused by compounds, such as quinine, when they bind to taste receptors that have a specific protein (specifically, a type of enzyme, a reaction catalyst).
Sweet
Sweet foods are many people’s favorites as they bring back good memories and comfort. What we perceive as sweetness is usually caused by sugar or sugar derivatives like fructose and lactose. Something you may not have known is that other substances can produce a sweet taste too. Certain amino acids and the alcohol present in fruit, from fermentation occurring naturally and producing ethanol in quantities lower than 0.1%, can produce a sweet taste. Fun fact: refined sugar was first manufactured in India around 2,500 years ago.
Umami
This taste was discovered in 1907 by the Japanese scientist Kikinae Ikeda of the Imperial University of Tokyo. It can come from savoury foods like tomatoes and steak, and is caused by glutamic acid or aspartic acid (two amino acids). You may recognise glutamic acid as it is what makes up MSG (monosodium glutamate), a harmless and delicious flavour enhancer!
Spicy
Spiciness is not usually classified as a taste and instead as a flavour, but I still think it would be interesting to include it in this article (plus it is my favourite on this list). Spiciness is caused by capsaicin, an active component. The distinct flavour occurs when this component binds to a specific protein that acts as a receptor. These receptors usually only respond to the temperature of foods, and this is why spicy food often tastes “hot”.
