eli5: Why do you have to take another bite of food to get the same amount of taste?

Question

Why is it that the amount of flavor you get in a single bite fades, and you have to take another bite to get a “renewed” source of flavor? Why can’t you just leave the food in your mouth and taste it infinitely?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Your taste receptors simply stop firing, as they “get used to” the sensation. Most of our senses work this way,to avoid overstimulation. That’s why your sesne of pain dulls out the more you experience it, why you stop smelling a certain smell after some time, and so on.