Connection between smell and taste explained

The sensation of losing one's sense of taste during illnesses like a cold or sinusitis is often linked to the loss of smell. While taste and smell are distinct senses, they are highly complementary.

Taste is produced by taste buds, which are tactile and thermal receptors located on the papillae of the tongue. However, the experience of flavor is also heavily influenced by the olfactory mucosa. As food is swallowed, volatile aromatic molecules are released and travel through the back of the throat to the nasal cavities, stimulating olfactory receptors.