Taste cells are located in the tongue and oral mucosa. They are located deep inside taste buds, so that food moving on the tongue does not damage them. When eating, chemical substances responsible for a particular taste are released in the mouth. These substances come into contact with a nerve cell. The nerve cell transmits messenger substances, which in turn activate further nerve cells. These nerve cells then pass information about a particular taste sensation to the brain.

Much of what we perceive as the sense of taste actually comes from the sense of smell. As we bite food, the chemical substances reach the olfactory sensory neurons of the nose through the roof of the throat. They are perceived as flavors.

Our taste buds are often said to be inferior compared to that of other animals. In fact, the problem is mainly that very few descriptive words for specific tastes have been developed in human languages. In the past, it was important to describe edibility with the simple terms such as "good" or "bad." A person can learn to distinguish even slight differences in flavor.