ELi5: How do we remember taste of things from years ago? Do our taste buds have memory?
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Our brains, not our taste buds, help us remember the taste of things we’ve eaten before. When we eat something, our taste buds send signals to our brains, which create a memory of the taste. When we eat that same thing again, our brains can recognize the taste and help us remember what it was like. Our taste buds can only taste the basic flavors, like sweet, salty, sour, and bitter, but our brains help us remember the more complex flavors, like the taste of a specific food or drink. So, even if we haven’t eaten something for a long time, our brains can still help us remember what it tasted like.
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