On May 21, we celebrate International Tea Day to pay homage to this ancient beverage. We will celebrate it at Satoricha with the rhythm of The Sensory Dance this year, hoping to have a special guest next year.
This piece not only continues the first installment of The Sensory Dance but also complements The Chemistry of Flavor, where a fundamental premise is that it's common to hear phrases like, "This is the best wine you will ever taste" or "This is the best champagne in the world." The same applies to tea, coffee, and almost all foods and beverages in general. However, upon tasting them, we are often surprised to find that we don't like them, or they may even be unpleasant to us. It has been established that a critical characteristic in this experience is the trigeminal system and nociceptors; these elements, which we could refer to as "everything behind the scenes," are always present, even if we don't see them.
In the first installment of The Sensory Dance, we introduced the actors in this performance: the senses of hearing, sight, touch, smell, and taste, and how they play their roles in this dance. Now, let's focus on one that is always involved with the other senses, which is often the center of attention and is, in a way, a source of controversy: the sense of taste.
Why is the sense of taste controversial? One only needs to consider the interpretations of umami flavor in the West and the East, which contradict each other despite being the same flavor. "Genetic Flavors" influence these interpretations, which vary according to a person's country or region of origin. However, both Western and Eastern interpretations agree that umami is perceived in the center of the tongue.
In the previous installment of The Sensory Dance, we discussed the standard segmentation of the tongue as follows:
- Bitter: perceived at the back of the tongue.
- Sour: detected on the sides of the tongue.
- Sweet: perceived at the tip of the tongue, roughly the size of a fingertip.
- Salty: detected at the front of the tongue, the tip, and the front sides.
- Umami: perceived in the center of the tongue.
The following image helps illustrate and better understand this segmentation:
Image Source: Wikipedia via Messer Woland
What happens if we put a bit of salt on our tongue? According to the segmentation described, we shouldn't be able to taste it, right? Yet, if we taste it, does this mean that what is often taught about taste is wrong? Not entirely. Let's say that this segmentation resulted from a summary that went further than the complete research.
David P. Hänig, Linda Bartoshuk, and many others
Before refuting the taste map of the tongue, let's investigate the origin of this misunderstanding that has made its way into elementary school classrooms. This confusion stemmed from the existence of the same information presented in many versions, resulting in a severe case of misinformation. Charles S. (2022) notes that during the mid-20th century, it was believed there was an asymmetrical distribution of taste properties like sweet, bitter, sour, and salty. According to the now-discredited tongue map, the tongue was thought to be divided into regions, such as perceiving bitterness at the back of the tongue.
Charles S. (2022) mentions that Linda Bartoshuk (1978) linked the emergence of the tongue map to a textbook publication by Edwin G. Boring (1942), titled "Sensation and Perception in the History of Experimental Psychology." In this book, the American psychologist rewrote the work of David Pauli Hänig (1901), reviewing thesis data published in an earlier German text titled "The Psychophysics of Taste." In a review from nearly three decades ago, Charles S. (2022) states that Linda Bartoshuk (1978) highlighted the inherent ambiguity in Boring's (1942) proposal, which may have inadvertently contributed to the appearance of the tongue map in articles (such as Haagen-Smit's 1952 scientific paper) and many textbooks.
Charles S. (2022) emphasizes that Bartoshuk (1993) pointed out, "The apparent simplicity of the tongue map has made it a popular laboratory demonstration in children's biology classes. Contemporary research has revealed that taste receptors capable of detecting each of the five basic flavors (bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and umami) are idiosyncratically distributed throughout the tongue."
Have we been misled all this time?
Despite the dissemination of incorrect information by Boring (1942), we shouldn't dismiss all the information; we simply need to correct what is erroneous. While scholars and experts mention that segmenting or mapping the tongue based on tastes is outdated, it can be a helpful starting point for understanding and recognizing flavors. What Boring (1942) simplified from David Pauli Hänig's (1901) work were the well-known "Taste Belts." As illustrated in illustration #2, David P. (1901) established that there are "chains" or "belts" of flavor around our tongue. Although there are areas where certain flavors are perceived more strongly, they can be detected throughout the tongue.
Source: Lindemann, Bernd. (1999).
In addition, there are numerous factors, such as touch, genetic flavors, sensory memory, predispositions, taste buds, and types of tasters. Therefore, I often say that the topic of taste is somewhat controversial, and I sometimes think it should be added to the list of topics that should not be discussed at the dinner table.
Let's learn from Bartoshuk (1993) and not allow apparent simplicity to turn knowledge into a popular demonstration. The difference between a flat, simple tea and a subtle one is that subtle-flavored tea deserves our attention to be appreciated correctly. Let's apply this to all knowledge and preconceived ideas: pay close attention to detail and refute it if necessary. It's not wrong to make mistakes, but it is wrong not to correct them.
Satoricha ~
References
Bernd L. (1999, May). Receptor seeks ligand: On the way to cloning the molecular receptors for sweet and bitter taste. Research Gate. Retrieved May 26, 2024, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/13095154_Receptor_seeks_ligand_On_the_way_to_cloning_the_molecular_receptors_for_sweet_and_bitter_taste
Charles S. (2022, January 8). The tongue map and the spatial modulation of taste perception. ELSEVIER. Retrieved May 26, 2024, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665927122000314
Klosse, P. (2013). The Essence of Gastronomy: Understanding the Flavor of Foods and Beverages. CRC Press.
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