You have several thousand taste buds, which you can see on your tongue. Taste buds are actually tiny nerve endings that allow us to perceive different tastes, including:

• Salty (i.e. french fries, peanuts)
  
• Sweet (i.e. cotton candy, strawberries)
  
• Sour (i.e. shock tarts, lemons)
  
• Bitter (i.e. black licorice, radishes)
  
• Umami (a specific taste in meat)

These nerve endings transmit messages directly to the brain by chemical reactions.

Another major component to taste is smell. With smell alone you can often tell the difference in foods or drinks, while without smell it can be difficult to distinguish between different tastes. You may notice this when you have a cold or stuffy nose and food does not taste normal.

As you get older you tend to lose taste buds and your sense of taste is weakened. Taste buds can be dulled or even damaged if they are irritated by extreme heat or cold, infections, a dry mouth, smoking, spicy foods, extremely sour foods, and some medications. Some people are sensitive to a particular food, such as walnuts, which may cause soreness in their mouth.

Fortunately, damaged taste buds can heal, so your sense of taste is not lost. If you experience persistent irritation of your taste buds, contact your doctor.