Taste

Discover the science behind the taste and smell of food and the importance of creating a desired smell and tasteSee all videos for this article

taste, also called gustation, the detection and identification by the sensory system of dissolved chemicals placed in contact with some part of an animal. Because the term taste is commonly associated with the familiar oral taste buds of vertebrates, many authorities prefer the term contact chemoreception, which has a broader connotation. See chemoreception; tongue.