THIRTEEN DIFFERENT FLAVOURS OF JUICES

Latine · Mayhoff 1906

Interim quae sunt communia et pomis omnibusque sucis saporum genera XIII reperiuntur: dulcis, suavis, pinguis, amarus, austerus, acer, acutus, acerbus, acidus, salsus. praeter haec tria sunt genera mirabili maxime natura: unum in quo plures pariter sentiuntur sapores, ut vinis; namque in iis et austerus et acutus et dulcis et suavis, omnes alieni. alterum est genus in quo sit et alienus quidem, sed et suus quidam ac peculiaris, ut in lacte; si quidem inest ei quod tamen iure dici dulce et pingue et suave non possit, optinente lenitate, quae ipsa succedit in saporis vicem. nullus hic aquis nec sucus, ut tamen eo ipso fiat aliquis ac suum genus faciat. sentiri quidem aquae saporem ullum sucumve vitium est. magnum his omnibus in odore momentum et magna cognatio; qui et ipse nullus est aquis aut, si sentitur omnino, vitium est. mirum tria naturae praecipua elementa sine sapore esse, sine odore, sine suco: aquas, aëra, ignes.

English · Bostock & Riley 1855–57

While upon this subject, it may be as well to state that there are no less than thirteen different flavours belonging in common to the fruits and the various juices: the sweet, the luscious, the unctuous, the bitter, the rough, the acrid, the pungent, the sharp, the sour, and the salt; in addition to which, there are three other kinds of flavours of a nature that is truly singular. The first of these last kinds is that flavour in which several other flavours are united, as in wine, for instance; for in it we are sensible of the rough, the pungent, and the luscious, all at the same moment, and all of them flavours that belong to other substances. The second of these flavours is that in which we are sensible at the same instant of a flavour that belongs to another substance, and yet of one that is peculiar to the individual object of which we are tasting, such as that of milk, for instance: indeed, in milk we cannot correctly say that there is any pronounced flavour that is either sweet, or unctuous, or luscious, a sort of smooth taste in the mouth being predominant, which holds the place of a more decided flavour. The third instance is that of water, which has no flavour whatever, nor, indeed, any flavouring principle; but still, this very absence of flavour is considered as constituting one of them, and forming a peculiar class of itself; so much so, indeed, that if in water any taste or flavouring principle is detected, it is looked upon as impure.

In the perception of all these various flavours the smell plays a very considerable part, there being a very great affinity between them. Water, however, is properly quite inodorous: and if the least smell is to be perceived, it is not pure water. It is a singular thing that three of the principal elements of Nature—water, air, and fire—should have neither taste nor smell, nor, indeed, any flavouring principle whatever.