This is something new for our taste buds! Since 2009, the 4 tastes (salty, sweet, sour and bitter) are no longer the only ones to be recognized, since a 5th flavor is now officially allowed. Umami, a word which means delicious in Japanese, takes a very important place in Japanese gastronomy. It can be found in several forms and brings this little taste of… “delicious” to our dishes. If it is not easy to define, it is however now proven that certain cells of our tongue have sensors capable of detecting it. Tsunami in the world of taste:recently, a new study has shown that some people also detect a sixth taste...
If it is (almost) impossible for us to resist the scent of fresh bread in front of the bakery and eating pasta morning, noon and evening would not be a problem... we probably have this famous 6th taste (lucky ones that we are!) . Indeed, a recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition explains our love of carbohydrates not by a craving for sugar but by the ability of some to taste starch directly. According to Deakin University (in Australia) our mouth could also detect two carbohydrates present in rice, pasta and bread. This rather astonishing ability therefore tends to prove the existence of a 6th flavor. Soon to be officially recognized as a taste in its own right?
