Wild Swamp Salad Pennsylvania Academic Standards: Health, Safety, and Physical Education 10.1.3.B Did you know that our senses tell us about the food we eat? Several hundred tiny bumps called taste buds, on the surface and sides of the tongue help us taste food. Each bud can only taste one of four flavors-- salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. There are two different flavors in the Wild Swamp Salad --salty and sweet. Try testing your own taste buds by following the exercise below. You will need: 3 small cups Teaspoon Water Salt Lemon Juice Sugar Paper towel Pen and paper Experiment: Fill the cups 1/2 full with water. Stir in 2 teaspoons of salt into one cup, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice into one cup and 2 teaspoons of sugar into the last cup. Wipe off your tongue. Place a tiny drop of the salty water on different parts of your tongue (the tip and the edges work best). On which part of your tongue was the sensation of saltiness the strongest? Rinse your mouth with water, wipe off your tongue between tastes, and repeat. Write down your observations as you test each taste. What happened? You probably sense saltiness and sweetness best at the tip of your tongue. Many people taste sourness at the sides. Bitterness is usually in the back but you did not test for bitterness. The taste buds in these areas contain nerve endings that respond strongly to each particular taste, and they send their message on to the brain. Experiment adapted from: Simple Kitchen Experiments by Muriel Mandell, copyright date1993, published by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York
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