You also experience taste from thousands of nerve endings in the surfaces of the mouth, nose, throat, and even eyes. The taste cells have receptors that respond to the basic taste qualities of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (the savory taste that comes from foods containing glutamate, such as chicken broth and meat extracts). When you chew, drink, and digest food, molecules in the food are released that stimulate the taste cells.