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As you eat, your senses of taste and smell create the flavor of your food. Then it’s up to your brain to decide whether you like it or not!
All over your tongue, you have taste buds that recognize five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory). Chemicals in your food stick to these taste buds, which then send the information to your brain.
But your nose is even better than your tongue at picking up chemicals in your food. It can identify hundreds of different smells. By combining taste, smell, temperature and texture, your brain gets to know an endless number of flavors.

 

INGREDIENTS

• A variety of foods with similar textures (like different flavored jelly beans or ketchup, mustard, and other types of sauces)

• A friend

DIRECTIONS

Close your eyes.

Have your friend give you a sample of each food.

As you eat it, try to identify which food it is.

Repeat steps 2 and 3, but close your eyes and hold your nose.

WHAT'S COOKIN'

Smell is an important part of sensing flavor. With your nose closed, you don't get the full taste of each food, so it's much more challenging to figure out what it is.