ABSTRACT
The chemical senses, taste and olfaction, although clearly two anatomically distinct sensory systems, are so intimately involved in daily experience that they are often confused with one another. The taste of food, as we use the term in everyday life, is really a composite of olfactory and gustatory experiences. The olfactory receptors in the nose are activated by the aroma of corned beef and cabbage, but the taste buds in the tongue are activated by the saltiness of the meat. Lemons have a distinctive odor that can be detected without their being taken into the mouth, but sourness is added to the lemon odor when lemon is consumed. Salt, acid, caffeine, and sugar stimulate taste, whereas pepper and other sharp spices stimulate pain and other trigeminal receptors. These are just a few examples of the many ways in which food produces a multisensory experience. It is not surprising that such propinquity and mutual functioning of the two senses is apparent in the history of writings on taste and smell.
