flavor. There are many thousands of different
flavor molecules; they can be combined in
untold numbers of ways, and different people
perceive them differently. Still, it’s useful to
keep a few basic facts about flavor in mind
when constructing a sauce.
The Nature of Flavor Flavor is mainly a
combination of two different sensations, taste
and smell. Taste is perceived on the tongue,
and comes in five different sensations:
saltiness, sweetness, sourness, savoriness,
bitterness. The molecules that we taste — salt,
sugars, sour acids, savory amino acids, bitter
alkaloids — are all easily soluble in water.
(The astringent sensation caused by tea and
red wine is a form of touch, and the “hot”
pungency of mustard is a form of pain. They
are not true tastes, but we also perceive them
on the tongue and their causes are also water-
soluble molecules.) Smell is perceived in the
upper nasal region, and comes in thousands of