Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Basic taste refers to the five primary tastes that humans can perceive: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. These tastes are detected by specialized taste receptors on the tongue.
Related terms
Taste receptors: Specialized cells on our tongues that detect and transmit information about the basic tastes.
Gustatory cortex: The area in our brain responsible for processing taste information from the taste buds.
Supertasters: Individuals who have an increased number of taste buds and may be more sensitive to certain flavors.