For a long time, scientists thought that humans had only four basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Then, a Japanese scientist discovered a fifth basic taste — umami, an elusive savory and pungent taste that is often associated with truffles, parmesan cheese, and anchovies. And now, scientists believe there may be a sixth basic taste that's been hiding in plenty of foods we've eaten all along — fat.
In a new study, scientists discovered that fat interacts with our taste buds in ways that make it capable of changing the way we perceive a food. Like the five other basic tastes — which The Washington Post explains can be likened to the primary colors in the way they mix and match to create other tastes — the basic taste of fat seems to stand on its own as a taste that doesn't share characteristics with the other basic tastes.
So what exactly does the addition of a new basic taste mean for how we eat and enjoy food? Understanding how fat interacts with the other basic tastes could help the food industry make more inventive combinations of flavors in dishes. In short, "[i]t could make a lot of food taste a lot better," Richard Mattes, lead author of the study, told The Washington Post.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the same way that a dash of salt or a sprinkle of sugar improves flavor, fat could soon become a taste enhancer, too. Duck fat caramel soy sauce ice cream, anyone?
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Coloradospeed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's studySpeed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-offSpeed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet underseaSpeed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure
-
New York plans first nuclear plant in 36 yearsSpeed Read The plant, to be constructed somewhere in upstate New York, will produce enough energy to power a million homes
-
Dehorning rhinos sharply cuts poaching, study findsSpeed Read The painless procedure may be an effective way to reduce the widespread poaching of rhinoceroses
-
Breakthrough gene-editing treatment saves babyspeed read KJ Muldoon was healed from a rare genetic condition
-
Sea lion proves animals can keep a beatspeed read A sea lion named Ronan beat a group of college students in a rhythmic dance-off, says new study
