How does salt bring out the flavor of food?

Question

How does salt bring out the flavor of food?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

The contacts on your tongue that detect tastes (like sweet, bitter, umami) do so through electrical signals. By adding salt to food, it means that your saliva will have more electrolytes, more conductive ions, at the surface of your tongue. That translates to a better conduction of the signal and thus a stronger taste.