According to Heston Blumenthal (as reported on Decanter.com), chef at the Fat Luck in London, it is time to toss the outdated approach to taste sensations. Currently expressed as five basic tastes — sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami, Blumenthal proposes that there are many more than just these. He cites his discovery that Sherry contains a "taste booster" composed of a group of DKP compounds as initial evidence.

The discussion that follows this news piece includes a post from chef Michael Pataran, who notes that the older, Eastern culture has long believed that there are 17 taste sensations. Another poster, Peter Klosse, has written a disseration on the subject and agrees with Heston, as well.

Pataran does make the point that it is difficult to separate flavor from taste sensations as flavors are actually aromas that are sensed in the mouth through one’s retronasal passages. This is why wine (and food) doesn’t "taste" nearly as flavorful and good when we have a stuffy nose.

Klosse suggests that the new theory has been useful in understanding food and wine pairing, which echoes Blumenthal’s study into Sherry and it’s food versatility. However, what they don’t discuss is that each person’s taste buds are unique to them. Thus, while general food and wine pairing principles work, different combinations may appeal to one and not another, despite these principles.

It should be interesting to see how this research develops as we learn more about how we taste.