What is the role of smell in flavor?

Question

Why is it that without our sense of smell, we can only taste the bland basics (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami)?

Answer 1

Taste is actually more smell than it is actual taste. I think I've read up to 60% but I don't really understand how they quantified taste, but I believe it.

Answer 2

Because Smell and taste are closely linked. The taste buds of the tongue identify taste, and the nerves in the nose identify smell. Both sensations are communicated to the brain, which integrates the information so that flavors can be recognized and appreciated.

Some tastes—such as salty, bitter, sweet, and sour—can be recognized without the sense of smell. However, complex flavors ( vanilla, strawberry etc.) require both taste and smell sensations to be recognized.

Answer 3

The olfactory glands play a large role in taste, and are also the workhorses behind smell. In fact, most of taste beyond the bland basics is actually just smelling what is in your mouth. The bland basics themselves are chemical reactions to salivary amylase detected by your taste buds, while the olfactory glands are responsible for everything else.

Answer 4

Smell and taste belong to our chemical sensing system (chemosensation). The complicated processes of smelling and tasting begin when molecules released by the substances around us stimulate special nerve cells in the nose, mouth, or throat. These cells transmit messages to the brain, where specific smells or tastes are identified.

Answer 5

My uncle can't smell anymore due to numerous broken noses from when he was in his wild and crazy days, and he can't taste anything!!!!! NOT ANYTHING!

Answer 6

try tasting something when you are sick and you can't smell...you can hardly taste anything.

Answer 7

enhances our taste

Answer 8

it is a total sensory enhansor