The Five Basic Tastes

Sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami are the five tastes our tongues actually detect — every other flavor sensation comes through smell. Sweet comes from sugars; sour from acids like vinegar and citrus; salty from sodium; bitter from compounds in coffee, dark greens and grapefruit; and umami, the savory fifth taste, from glutamates in tomatoes, mushrooms, aged cheese, soy, kombu and cured meats. A balanced dish usually leans on at least three of these. When something tastes flat at home, it is almost always missing acid (sour) or salt — a squeeze of lemon will rescue more dishes than another pinch of seasoning.