flavor There are many thousands of different flavor molecules; they can be combined in untold numbers of ways, and different people perceive them differently Still, it’s useful to keep a few basic facts about flavor in mind when constructing a sauce The Nature of Flavor Flavor is mainly a combination of two different sensations, taste and smell Taste is perceived on the tongue, and comes in five different sensations: saltiness, sweetness, sourness, savoriness, bitterness The molecules that we taste — salt, sugars, sour acids, savory amino acids, bitter alkaloids — are all easily soluble in water (The astringent sensation caused by tea and red wine is a form of touch, and the “hot” pungency of mustard is a form of pain They are not true tastes, but we also perceive them on the tongue and their causes are also watersoluble molecules.) Smell is perceived in the upper nasal region, and comes in thousands of different aromas that we usually describe by the foods they remind us of, fruity or flowery or spicy or herbaceous or meaty The molecules that we smell are more soluble in fat than in water, and tend to escape from water into the air, where our smell detectors can sniff them It can be useful to think of taste as the backbone of a flavor, and smell as its fleshing out Taste alone is what we experience when we take some food in the mouth and pinch our nostrils shut; smell alone is what we experience when we sniff some food without putting it in the mouth Neither is fully satisfying on its own And recent research has shown that taste sensations affect our smell sensations In a sweet food, the presence of sugar enhances our perception of aromas, and in savory foods, the presence of salt has the same effect The Spectrum of Sauce Flavors When ... shown that taste sensations affect our smell sensations In a sweet food, the presence of sugar enhances our perception of aromas, and in savory foods, the presence of salt has the same effect The Spectrum of Sauce Flavors When... detectors can sniff them It can be useful to think of taste as the backbone of a flavor, and smell as its fleshing out Taste alone is what we experience when we take some food in the mouth and pinch our... nostrils shut; smell alone is what we experience when we sniff some food without putting it in the mouth Neither is fully satisfying on its own And recent research has shown that taste sensations affect our smell