Why isn't hot (peppery) considered a taste?

Question

You can say something tastes hot, you can only taste hot with your tongue and not other parts of the mouth. If hot is not a taste, what is the taste of pepper?

You can say something tastes hot, you can only taste (feel) hot with the TONGUE and not other parts of the mouth. If hot is not a taste, what is the taste of pepper?
Please, DO POST REFFERENCES.

Answer 1

To say something tastes hot is wrong. To say it tastes spicy may be more accurate.

Answer 2

Chiles and peppers do have taste, but the capsaicin in them (what causes the burning sensation) actually decreases your ability to taste flavors so the more peppers you eat, the more you will have the tasteless burning sensation which you may identify as being different from other flavors (since no other flavors get through).
But as I said, you "can" taste the peppers, but only when your tolerance to capsaicin is high so it doesn't tone down flavor. There is a wide range of taste between such peppers as cayenne, jalapeno, habanero, etc. You might find them earthy, pungent, fruity or some other flavors after you eat a lot of them over a period of time.

Answer 3

There are a lot of different types of pepper, and they all taste different, even if they are all "hot". The hot part is really a feeling or sensation, not a flavor or taste. You could test this by trying different types of pepper, either alone or in something in equal quantities, against one another, and trying to explain how they taste different from one another (try black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, etc.).

Answer 4

Hot is a sensation not a taste. If you burned your arm would you say “Ouch that tastes bad?” =)~ Pepper tastes spicy, that would be the actual taste for something hot.

Answer 5

I think it's a taste. When I make chili for my husband I taste it to see if it's hot, spicey hot, not heat hot I can tell that by the boiling chili. Peppers are sold as sweet bell peppers, sweet italian peppers, hot habenero peppers, etc.. so that leads me to believe it is a taste.

Answer 6

Pepper is a spice, hence it adds a smell to the food and hence it gives flavor to food not taste.
Its something like, for pepper flavor is the main product and taste is the by-product.

Answer 7

Hmm good question. I love HOTT chile..but when it comes to pepper, thats a different sort of hot. Pepper is like a spice hot..not a chile hot

Answer 8

i think hot is a taste, but people don't really classify it as a "main" taste just like mint, and couple other ones.

I think they aren't a taste because it's the chemical in the peeper and mint that goes into your mouth to make it think it's getting "hotter" and "cooler" although they are suppose to irritate, but we eat them for that reason.

Answer 9

Taste buds screaming!

Answer 10

peppery hot,and black