taste

Everyday

1. The flavour of food or drink in your mouth: "a sweet taste". tree →
2. The sense that lets you notice flavours, mainly with your tongue. tree →
3. As a verb, to try a little food or drink to find its flavour. tree →
4. As a verb, to have a certain flavour: "It tastes salty." tree →
5. What a person likes: "She has good taste in music." tree →
6. A small try: "a taste of life in Canada". tree →

In the lessons

In science, taste is one of the five senses; the tongue senses sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savoury (umami); smell helps taste. In safety: never taste unknown liquids, berries, mushrooms or medicines. Phrases: taste of, in good taste, bad taste, taste buds, an acquired taste.

Examples

• The lemon tastes sour. tree →
• Taste the soup and add salt if needed. tree →
• We taste with our tongue. tree →
• Never taste berries you don't know. tree →
• I like the taste of strawberries. tree →
• She has great taste in clothes. tree →
• That joke was in bad taste. tree →
• Your taste buds are on your tongue. tree →
• The witch took a spoonful and tasted it. tree →

Note

After "taste" use an adjective: "tastes good", not "tastes well". Myth: the tongue does not have separate areas for each taste. Some poisons look like juice — don't taste them.

In Jewish tradition

In Exodus, the taste of manna is like wafers made with honey. In Sefer Yetzirah, taste is one of the senses. In Job and the Song of Songs, taste means the ability to judge, and also the sweet flavor of fruit, and "to taste good" means to enjoy it.

Interpretation. Tradition says manna could taste like whatever food a person wished. In Sefer Yetzirah the letter Tzaddi is linked with taste, the sign Aquarius and the month Shevat. The Song of Songs is read as a picture of the love between God and Israel, so its sweet fruit stands for that closeness.

Examples

• And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna; and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. (Torah EXO.16.31, JPS 1917) tree →
• He produced Tzaddi, predominant in Taste, crowned it, combined and formed with it Aquarius in the Year, and the gullet in Man. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
• He produced Tzaddi, predominant in Taste, crowned, combined, and formed Aquarius in the world, Sebat in the year, and the gullet in man. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887) tree →
• Cannot my taste discern crafty devices? (Writings JOB.6.30, JPS 1917) tree →
• And another dieth in bitterness of soul, and hath never tasted of good. (Writings JOB.21.25, JPS 1917) tree →
• Under its shadow I delighted to sit, and its fruit was sweet to my taste. (Writings SNG.2.3, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

After "taste" use an adjective: "tastes good", not "tastes well". Myth: the tongue does not have separate areas for each taste. Some poisons look like juice — don't taste them.