When the Reindeer Research Program (RRP) needed a panel of trained tasters to examine samples of reindeer meat, I volunteered. I'd never participated on a taste panel, and it sounded interesting—and I like venison. First, however, I underwent a testof my tastebuds, along with several other volunteers, to see if I could discern varying strengths of different basic flavors: sweet, acid, metallic, bitter, and umami. (I'd never encountered this latter word before; it is the term for a flavor that could be variously described as smooth, rich, mushroomy, meaty.)
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