Flavor and Taste
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Salty
With the notable exceptions of shellfish and seaweed, the presence of a salty taste is the result of the cook’s decision to add the mineral sodium chloride, known as salt, or to salt previously salted ingredients such as salt-cured fish, meats, soy sauce, or some cheeses. Salt helps to finish off a dish, enhancing or enhancing its other flavors. Dishes that are lacking in salt often taste bland. Adding a small amount of salt or something salty can correct something that is otherwise sweet. Similar to the taste of sweetness,…
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Sour
Considered the opposite of sweet, sour tastes are found in acidic foods. Like sweetness, sourness can vary greatly in intensity. Many foods with a dominant sour taste, such as red currants or sour cream, also have a slight sweetness. Sourness can sometimes be enhanced by adding a small amount of sweetness or counteracted by adding a large amount of sweet ingredients. Sourness is one of the five fundamental tastes, alongside sweet, salty, bitter, and umami. It is characterized by its sharp, tangy flavor profile, often associated with acidic foods. This…
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Sweet
Primarily sugar, sweet taste receptors signal that food is a source of easily digestible energy. For most people, sweetness is the most pleasurable and often sought-after flavor. The fewer sweet-tasting foods we eat, the greater our ability to recognize sweetness. The sweetness of foods comes from naturally occurring sugars (such as sucrose and fructose) or from added sweeteners. Chefs can enhance the natural sweetness of foods by adding small amounts of sour, bitter, or salty flavors. However, adding too many sour, bitter, or salty flavors reduces our perception of the…