The tongue is the taste organ of the human body. Four types of taste buds are scattered over the surface of the tongue. Each taste bud detects only one type of taste. They detect

• sweet
• sour
• salty
• bitter.

These are the only things about food we can taste. Part of the flavor of food comes from the way it smells.

The back of the mouth connects to the back of the nose. When we eat food, we smell it as well as taste it.

That is why foods "taste funny" when you have a cold and your nose is stopped up.