This podcast details how taste works, explaining taste as a chemical sense perceived by specialized receptor cells that make up taste buds within papillae on the tongue. It distinguishes taste from flavor, which is described as a fusion of multiple senses, including gustatory (taste), olfactory (smell), and tactile and thermal sensations.

The overview covers the primary tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and the more recently accepted umami (savory), noting fat as a potential sixth taste. It also debunks the tongue map myth, clarifying that all tastes can be sensed across the entire tongue, though sensitivities may vary. A significant part of the discussion focuses on supertasters, individuals with abnormally high concentrations of taste receptors leading to heightened taste sensitivity to substances like PROP, and how this genetic trait influences food preferences and potentially health. The essential role of smell in the full perception of flavor is also highlighted.