Why does food taste bland when we have a cold?
Nose's Secret Job
Why does food taste bland when we have a cold?
You bite into your favorite pizza. You chew. You swallow. And… nothing. It tastes like cardboard. What happened? Your pizza didn't change. Your cold stuffed up your nose, and your nose is secretly doing most of the work when it comes to "tasting" food.
Here's the twist: your tongue can only taste five things. Sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (that savory flavor in cheese and broth). That's it. Five. Everything else you think you're tasting? That's actually your nose smelling.
