Flavor Profiles

Great Thread!

I found this and some other interesting tidbits here.

Factors affecting taste perception

Many factors affect taste perception, including:

• Aging
• Color/vision impairments
• Hormonal influences
• Genetic variations; see Phenylthiocarbamide
• Oral temperature
• Drugs and chemicals
• Natural Substances (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_fruit)
• CNS Tumors (esp. Temporal lobe lesions) and other neurological causes
• Plugged noses
• Zinc deficiency

It is also important to consider that flavor is the overall, total sensation induced during mastication (e.g. taste, touch, pain and smell). Smell (olfactory stimulation) plays a major role in flavor perception.

Zinc eh? Gotta go take a multivitamin...

That tastes like Umami.