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How Do We Taste Food? 👅
Morning Taste Buds!
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/f228021a-e1f9-4273-991c-b6ff327d4d3f/TASTE_GIF.gif?t=1716453915)
Durd!
What did I tell you? No more ice cream!
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/20e47054-3e2a-4361-9b84-450103898055/Illustration-TASTE_1.png?t=1716453941)
I don't care, you’ve had like 10 of them already.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/907d138d-2a19-47a7-a452-0b091ad945a3/Illustration-TASTE_2.png?t=1716453965)
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/f6ef9baa-d792-4246-be0a-7c3d0c6a858d/Illustration-TASTE_3.png?t=1716454002)
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://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/03c61cea-b6f3-4feb-8263-56e078f5167f/Illustration-TASTE_4.png?t=1716454031)
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://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/455fb259-0189-48a8-b8c8-c0f1ae043e6c/Illustration-TASTE_5.png?t=1716454046)
See all those little bumps?
Those are called papillae.
These bumps are packed with tons of little things called… Taste buds!
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/f6d5ad32-a0a5-4a7e-bb33-4e72d5b5807b/Illustration-TASTE_6.png?t=1716454059)
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://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/89397e59-2b15-4078-b6c1-648b1c3d73bb/Illustration-TASTE_7.png?t=1716454075)
Weird…
See those little small hairs, though?
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/00608e8d-fa34-4975-af98-0acbe85d8547/Illustration-TASTE_8.png?t=1716454093)
These little things are called taste hairs.
So, when you eat some food, little food particles brush past these hairs.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/acbb0a54-21dd-4a01-bb0a-264782e74f5a/Illustration-TASTE_9a.png?t=1716454105)
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/56fb2d06-861f-4c97-ad8e-044a75154787/Illustration-TASTE_9b.png?t=1716454135)
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://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/f9382c1c-27ab-42e1-912f-8e139f50410c/Illustration-TASTE_10.png?t=1716454150)
Telling you exactly what you're tasting!
Now, some taste buds can only sense one flavor.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/f503dbc7-2cf1-491c-850d-4e88e9023ed9/Illustration-TASTE_11.png?t=1716454173)
Others can sense all 5 of them.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/503a20ad-245f-4058-8535-99ed889e955b/Illustration-TASTE_12.png?t=1716454194)
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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