Flavor perception

Flavor perception is the combined experience of taste, smell, and other senses like texture and temperature. When you eat or drink, taste buds on your tongue detect basic tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami—while olfactory receptors in your nose pick up aromas. These signals work together in your brain to create the full flavor experience, allowing you to identify and enjoy different foods and beverages. Factors like temperature, texture, and even visual appearance also influence how you perceive flavor, making it a complex interplay of multiple sensory inputs.