The 6th taste: Ammonium Chloride
And then there were 6 — kinds of taste, that is
In addition to sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami, a new study suggests the tongue might also detect ammonium chloride as a basic taste.
“If you live in a Scandinavian country, you will be familiar with and may like this taste,” says Liman, professor of biological sciences. In some northern European countries, salt licorice has been a popular candy at least since the early 20th century. The treat counts among its ingredients salmiak salt, or ammonium chloride.
Posted Nov 28, 2025, 5:42 PM UTC
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