The five basic tastes have sixth sibling: oleogustus
Perception of fat gets pride of place alongside sweet, salty and the others
Oleogustus
/OH-lee-oh-GUHS-tuhs/ n.
The taste of certain fats.
Move over, umami. Fat is the newest member of the pantheon of basic tastes, joining salty, sweet, sour, bitter and savory, or umami.
Researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., conducted taste tests pitting a variety of fats against flavors in the other taste categories, such as monosodium glutamate for umami. The result: People recognize some fats as separate from the other five taste categories, even with plugged noses. The researchers dub this sixth sense oleogustus.