I’m asked this question almost immediately after I’ve explained that I was born without a sense of smell. And the answer is this: Yes, sort of. I heard a statistic many years ago (so I’m not sure if it’s very reliable) that smell only affects roughly 30% of taste. Again, not sure if that is accurate or not…
To Elaborate:
Now, since I’ve never been able to smell I really don’t have a point of comparison. But I can give you an overview of what I can taste based on conversations with other people who can smell (olfies, as some anosmiacs like to call them).
I can taste general differences (sweet, sour, bitter, fruity, etc.)
So yes, I can tell the difference between coffee and tea, chocolate and carob (how is carob a substitute for greatness?), etc. What I can’t distinguish between are the subtleties of foods and drinks. Starbursts, for example, all taste fruity to me (yes, even the yellow ones). I can’t distinguish between Cherry or Strawberry, though oddly enough I am drawn to my favorite color, red.
Also, I can taste the difference between boxed wine and “real” wine, red wine and white, but I can’t appreciate other flavors in it like, say, a hint of oak (I’ve never understood that one!).
Starbucks coffee has never tasted “burnt” to me (it’s wickedly strong though!), and overheating milk (can you really burn milk?) in cappuccino doesn’t change the taste to me.
I taste a lot by texture.
The texture of food is very important to me since many dishes have a lot of different ingredients and spices that kind of cancel each other out. For example, if you pair cinnamon with any stronger spice, I won’t be able to taste the cinnamon; however, alone I can taste cinnamon just fine. I can’t taste garlic. I can’t taste nutmeg. I can’t taste a lot of the powered stuff. I love curry. Real curry and the grocery store powered stuff. Anyway, because of my inability to taste a lot of spices, I think, I tend to “feel” food more so than simply taste it. I can’t stand chili! The texture reminds me of one of the side effects of flu season or forgetting the rule “liquor before beer” (if you follow…yuk!).
Oh, and if it feels like baby food…forget it!
Other Factors
Since I can’t smell food cooking, I am never appetized by it. If someone talks about food, or I see food…then yes, I will get start to get hungry. Sense memory baffles me. I am always intrigued when people say that a certain food cooking reminds them of their grandmother.
- May 28, 11:42 AM
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1 · Janet · May 29, 12:33 PM
Dude, I don’t know very many people who can tell if a wine has a hint of oak, cypress, or whatever either. This article was very helpful. I won’t make you eat mobu tofu or oatmeal if you come to visit!
:-)
2 · MichellePendergrass · Jun 2, 07:12 PM
Okay. On the Starbucks thing. When people say that sometimes Starbucks tastes burnt, I think they mean it has a bitter, overcooked taste to it. What do mean when you say you can taste that it’s strong? (I know the difference for myself between weak coffee and strong coffee, but I’m wondering if our descriptions are the same?)
3 · Heather Ackmann · Jun 2, 07:29 PM
To me, regular Starbucks coffee kind of tastes like espresso to me. Only the strength of espresso dies once I gulp it down; Starbucks kind of coats my tongue and stays with me for a few hours (Yeah, I don’t really like Starbucks coffee—but I hear it’s a great company to work for!).
4 · Michelle Pendergrass · Jun 4, 10:49 AM
Well, I think in this case we might be tasting the same thing. Regular Starbucks brewed coffee is not appealing to me. I get an Iced Americano (espresso with water and lots of ice) then I add peppermint or pumpkin and some half and half.
The half and half tones down the strong bitter taste enough that my mouth doesn’t cringe when I drink it and the itty bitty little bit of peppermint or pumpkin gives it just a hint of sweetness.
5 · Heather Ackmann · Jun 4, 11:05 AM
So “burnt” equals “strong” in Starbucks-speak? hmmm…interesting…
6 · Dana · Jun 4, 06:10 PM
I find I am drawn to textures as well, and your description of spices is accurate. I use the Starbursts example with people I meet, too! I love/hate extreme things…for example, I love mint flavored candy/ice cream/poptarts/etc. but I can’t really tast the mint unless it’s overpowering. Same with sour things. But I hate spicy/hot foods. I can’t stand the mildest of mild sauces – it’ll taste really hot to me.
Also, to answer the question…I definitely taste, I just don’t have the sense of smell to add to my experience, like everyone else.
7 · Heather Ackmann · Jun 23, 05:47 PM
Oh…you’ve just reminded me Dana…I also used to hate spicy/hot foods, even simple ground black pepper…that is until recently.
My allergies/sinuses got really bad around the age of 21-22, and I started eating spicy foods simply because that was the only thing that really seemed to help clear the pathways.
I have no idea if any of this has any connection to anosmia…I’m looking though…
8 · Jodi · Jul 6, 11:04 PM
I am wondering if anyone else experiences this… I cannot smell at all (traced back to childhood), I think I can taste most stuff, but people make comments that I use too much salt or spices, etc.
What I’m wondering is if anyone else cannot smell, but can feel sensations up their nasal cavity. For example, when I spray perfume I can “feel” the alcohol go up my nose.
So maybe as far as being able to smell bleach rather you’re feeling the slight tingling sensation that smellers get along with the smell.
Did that make any sense?
9 · Heather Ackmann · Jul 7, 11:52 AM
It makes perfect sense Jodi. We really need a science person here to comment on certain chemicals like rubbing alcohol and their “feel.” I was not good in chemistry.
I also use a ton of salt, though I’m recently trying to cut back.
10 · Jacqui · Nov 5, 01:16 AM
I can relate so much with what you wrote. Starbursts – exactly! I can’t tell the difference either. I can tell when coffee is burnt though.
As for stuff “canceling each other out”, I’m not sure if that is the same with me or not. I’ve been suspicious sometimes when people will describe how something tastes and I don’t understand how they are picking up each and every distinct flavor like that.
Texture is pretty important to me as well. I cannot stand homemade mashed potatoes. The lumps completely gag me. Yuck.
On a purely logical level I can understand the “smell reminds me of grandma” thing, just like a style of clothing or a particular piece of jewelry might remind someone of a relative. But it is a little weird when people say how something they smell immediately reminds them of something just the same.
11 · Taylor · Jan 5, 08:26 PM
i’m also a congenital anosmic, but i just found out that there are internet groups and everything about it… i read your article, and its EXACTLY what i’ve been trying to explain to people for so long about how i CAN taste (even though i can’t smell)…i’ve also experience much of what you discussed, like not being able to taste garlic, not being able to distinguish starburst/skittles flavors, and relying on textures a lot when tasting… thank you so much for writing this… its such a great feeling to find so many other people experiencing the same things that i have dealt with for so many years… :)
12 · JF · Mar 9, 09:09 PM
I too have no sense of smell, but I did have it many years ago, so I can remember what things smell like. My sense of taste is unaffected and I can taste subtle differences in pretty much everything. I can most certainly distinguish between the different Starburst flavors (colors)! The yellow is my least favorite. I do recall when I was able to smell, that flavors were enhanced SLIGHTLY compared to now, and many people I have talked to refuse to accept this. They insist that smell and taste are the same thing and you cannot have one without the other – what ignorance!
When it comes to food, I love to cook. I use my sense of taste all the time when preparing dishes. I love preparing elaborate meals and using exotic ingredients. On the other hand, I do not “love” to eat, as so many people do, rather I just enjoy the taste. Quantity does not matter to me in that I do not eat to keep my stomach topped up (Americans are WAY guilty of this), but only to exercise my taste buds. Also, there is no food that I dislike – I will taste/eat pretty much anything. Texture has no effect on me either, unless it’s a squirming giant grub or something bizarre like that.
What I find rather enjoyable, is the benefits of not being able to smell. I am totally immune to nausea, and can literally wade knee-deep through a waste encrusted sewer with no gagging, vomiting etc (not that I would choose to do that mind you). No smell, no matter how intense, will affect my constitution in any way. Any vile odors simply have no effect on me. If someone stinks – I remain unaware of it. If someone farts – nothing. The same holds true for public restrooms, cigarettes, cigars, and any other thing that people usually complain about when it comes to smells. I love this ability, and I always secretly laugh inside, when I see someone overreacting to some odor they claim is making them sick – it is hilarious to me.
13 · Jessica · Apr 2, 05:00 AM
JF do you not miss the good smells?
14 · RJ · Apr 11, 01:06 PM
YES! This is what I have! I have never had a sense of smell, though when I was little, I would pretend to, and believed that it was something that would eventually develop. It was also complicated by sensations in my nose that I thought were smells: I tried to smell warm foods and beverages, and believed the feeling of warm air in my nose to be a smell. I would also randomly get irritating and unpleasant feelings in my nose. When someone told me that smell was not actually felt near the nostrils, that is when I realized that I didn’t just have a bad sense of smell, but that I had NO sense of smell, and never have.
I have experienced what I call ‘tasting a smell,’ where I get an unpleasant taste in my mouth in big cities or around someone who is smoking.
I CAN taste, and I can also tell the difference between apples and onions. Onions are crunchy like celery, and apples are crunchy like… apples. They MIGHT taste the same, but as long as their texture is different, I will be able to distinguish them. There are foods that I like the taste of, but can’t stand because of the texture. For example, oatmeal, sushi with avocado(it’s squishy!), etc.
I have found that I LOVE salt and vinegar potato chips- am I making up for the full impact of flavor with this extreme taste? My sister can’t eat them because they remind her of the vinegar and water solution we use when the dogs make a mess.
I have never smelled the stench of skunk while driving. This is a plus.
If one of the dogs or cats goes in the house (or not in the litterbox, for the cat) I can’t tell unless I see it. I can’t tell if my room gets stuffy, and people coming into my room often complain about the smell. I fixed it by keeping my window open.
Why is this not more publicized? When I told my pediatrician that I couldn’t smell, he kind of laughed it off… granted, that was after my insistence that I had hearing difficulties (which I kind of do… I can hear just fine, but I process the sounds slowly, and that delays recognition of words- at least that’s my hypothesis). But isn’t anosmia still an absence of a sense? We only have five in the first place…
Speaking of the senses, is there a heightened sense in place of the lack of smell? People who lack senses are usually more sensitive in other areas, at least I think that is the popular belief…
I have found that I have a sensitive sense of touch, and that I have to wait for foods and drinks to cool off more than other people. This is probably just a coincidence, though.
I have never actually met face to face with another anosmic person…
I do not really mind talking about many bodily functions while eating, and wonder if that is because they do not remind me of unpleasant smells. However, I am very sympathetic, and if anyone talks about an injury, I find myself very sensitive there… It feels uncomfortable. For example, just thinking about having blood drawn makes my inner elbow very weak and sensitive…
I keep annoying people because I want to know what a scent is like. The closes thing I have to it is the feeling of certain temperatures and air densities in my nose. I hate not being able to smell. There are disadvantages, like nasty smells, but it’s better than nearly burning popcorn 2 METERS away from you and not noticing until you open the microwave…
15 · Jonathan lippe · Jul 31, 11:31 AM
In my 8th grade science class for an experiment, we all had to close our eyes, hold our nose and eat star burst candy and see if we could determine which flavor it was. I couldn’t and it amazed me! (I can smell by the way, even after two nose surgeries).
I’m going to read your articles and hopefully all of my questions will be answered like “do you know what outside smells like”, and if you could do an article on your opinion of public transit and public places and can you smell cigarettes and sweaty people and what you judge people by on ypur first physical encounters with them since you can’t smell them. I know that sounds like a doggie thing to do – smell someone – but it’s part of the first impression experience and I’m curious to see how this could change interactions. If you’re already answered these sorry. I will look thru the articles. This is a fascinating subject and great website.
I have a lot of allergies so nasal discussions interest me.
16 · Laura · Oct 20, 10:15 PM
I love this site, this is exactly my thing! I do taste, but this is always the second question I’m asked!
Texture bothers me a LOT. Not so much lumps in potatoes (because I love them) but if anything has crunchy stuff mixed in, I won’t eat it. If I’m eating potatoes, nothing better crunch. I like a nice even texture to my food.
17 · Doug · Dec 6, 01:36 PM
@Jodi and Heather
There’s another sense in the nose that senses certain chemicals, the trigeminal sense. It can sense chemical irritants like alcohol, ammonia, and peppermint (might be the menthol). Olfie’s usually just think of it as part of the smell. Anosmics, while not smelling, can still have this sense.
Re: Starburst. The creaters probably use artificial flavors to differentiate them. Flavorists, scientists who create flavors, usually focus on changing the smell because of smells importance to flavor. So without the smell from the artificial flavor, that’s probably why they taste the same.
18 · Ryan · Jan 11, 03:38 PM
Dude, if you can’t distinguish between onion and apples even without a sense of smell, your taste buds are on their last legs.
I can COMPLETELY tell the difference. They aren’t even close. If could never just eat a raw onion. I can’t even handle a lot of onion on a burger. A little goes a loooong way.
I’ve noticed this before. Us congenital anosmiacs all seem to report different tastes that we can and can not distinguish between. There must be more to our condition that just an absense of that one sense. Our taste buds must be all off kilter in various ways as well.
19 · Jamie · Jan 13, 04:44 AM
As a person who lives with someone who says he doesn’t have the ability to smell, I can tell you he sure uses LOTS of spices while cooking. Too much to the point that it is OVERWHELMING to those of us who CAN smell. I was driving home and got a half a block away and knew he was cooking… The smell of burnt garlic lofted through the neighborhood. It;s at times, unbearable.
20 · Jerry · Feb 17, 09:20 PM
There is a lot here that is familiar to me. I appreciate this blog – thanks for creating it and thanks to those that post on it.
I am overweight and I know when I tell people I have no sense of smell, and never have, they wonder, “why is this guy fat if he can’t taste things”. Well, guess what, I CAN taste things and I love food. In fact it’s time for yet another diet and another hope that I can find a way to keep it off.
I am amazed that people claim that if they hold their nose closed they can’t “taste” food. These types don’t believe I have no sense of smell but do have the sense of taste. Fact is, I have no idea what it means to smell something, yet I love chocolate and steak and fried chicken and on and on. Oft times I wish not being able to smell really did mean you couldn’t taste. Then I’d just eat healthy stuff all the time since I would need it for fuel only, just like gasoline in the car.
21 · TS · Apr 11, 08:48 AM
Hi,
This one might stump you. I cannot tell the difference between tea and coffee. I can smell the difference but not taste. As for the star bursts, im the same, would not know what flavour im eating unless i see it first, then i’d come to the conclusion that on a yellow one i would suddenly start tasting vanilla or banana. The other one that makes me laugh is Mcdonalds milkshakes. I cannot tell the difference in any of these. Is this a common thing, as Ive only recently started to take this seriously.
22 · Megan · May 9, 06:01 PM
I had my second sinus surgery 4 months ago, and ever since I have not been able to smell ANYTHING. However, i still felt like I have my full sense of taste, thank goodness! But reading this I started to think about a few things. I did do the startburst test and I could taste the difference between all types, although I did get pink & orange mixed up (so maybe a little loss there). But before my loss of smell I hated all peppers & onions (except for in salsa) and black pepper. But since I have found that I really like cooked onions in food (raw are still too strong, plus it’s a texture thing), and I also like red peppers now (still not the green ones), and I enjoy seasoning my food with pepper on occasion. So there might be a slight effect on my sense of taste but nothing really noticeable. I don’t really miss the sense yet, except on a few occasions, and I know I will when the lilacs start to bloom(my favorite smell in the world). I also am more paranoid now that I smell because if I did I wouldn’t know. I also have to do laundry more because I can’t pick something off the floor and smell it and decide if it’s been worn or if it’s ok to where. I can’t smell the perfume when I walk through a department store, but I still get the associated headache. I have to rely on others in some instances like having to ask what a lotion or candle smells like, if my dog smells and needs a bath, etc. But all in all, I guess if I had to lose a sense I’m glad it was this one.
23 · DJ · Jun 5, 10:52 AM
Wow this is surprisingly encouraging. I rarely have been able to smell anything. Once in not even a blue moon…just rare. I can taste though. I can’t distinguish close flavors like Heather mentioned, which I haven’t really thought about until I read this article. Example, skittles, even though I LOVE the taste of them.
I explained to my dad about it when I was younger, but he demanded that I was making it up for attention and all this non-sense (no pun intended). After that I just agreed with what smell he and everyone else said an object smelled like and played along.
But seriously, thanks for this article. I don’t feel nearly as left out now :P
24 · Rachel · Aug 20, 12:52 AM
I can completely relate to everything you said here, I have congenial anosmia too =D
Altough about the “Since I can’t smell food cooking, I am never appetized by it.” thing.
When ever my mom cooks any kind of meat i get hungry. I cant smell it, and even if i dont see it yet, my stomach will start to growl. For the life of me I cant explain it =P
This site is great! Ive only met one other anosmiac (and she was only partial) so these articles are great for answering my questions =D Thanks
25 · Kelly Burridge · Oct 14, 04:15 PM
I just took my daughter to an ENT Dr. and explained to him that my daughter has no sense of smell (she is only 5) and neither does my husband (he’s 37) and I was told that if they could taste food they could smell. Well, they can taste food, maybe not always the same way I do, but they can make out salty, sweet, spicy, etc. and have NO sense of smell. I am so frustrated right now I could scream. He made me feel like I was nuts! lol
26 · Kiki · Dec 10, 08:27 PM
I, like many of the people here, am an anosmic (is that the noun version of the word?). I’m completely “normal”, being able to taste, but not the differences in candy flavors, being extremely bothered by textures, the whole package. However, I’ve always wondered if this is a side effect of not being able to smell: can you other people here taste the difference in the air when it’s about to rain/when it’s very overcast? I feel like the air actually takes on a more… water-like/clean? feeling/taste to it. It may just be my imagination, of course, but I’m still curious. I mean, the air on a crisp, clear day tastes clean in a different way, the air on a humid day is, of course, hot, thick, and watery, and then a normal, cold-ish, not humid day doesn’t taste like anything…
Keep posting on this site, it’s so interesting to read the things you find! :)
27 · Kathy · Dec 11, 08:48 PM
I have never been able to smell but I CAN taste. I once had a room full of students, who could all smell, sit there and tell me otherwsie, but I can. Also I’ve never not been able to taste when I have cold. I can’t always tell the difference between sublte flavours, like the starbust thing, though sometimes I can. Occasionally if i’m exposed to an extremely strong odour for long enough, I might sense it in the back of my nose, so I may have a slight sense of smell (If I can smell it then everybody is else is probably choking from it), but generally I’ll taste it first. I can taste cigarette smoke, (which is the only time i’m bothered by it and means it’s probably in my lungs), unfortunately I can sometimes taste farts, the other day I went into the body shop and briefly could taste soap. The tatse tends to occur right at the back of my throat. Obviously people who were born without smell have nothing to compare to, but I enjoy flavours, can distinguish and describe flavours and when talking about food, have never found much of a difference between how I describe my tasting experiences with those who do smell. Also Kiki, I can somewhat taste the weather also. I also get a strange, not overly pleasant, sensation up my nostrils, but I think it’s just the change of tempertature and texture of the air when you inhale.
28 · kevin · Dec 18, 04:42 PM
I ve had no sence of smell since 2 years of age when i had a brain tumor removed and they severed my ole factory nerve.
While i can agree with alot that you ve said . Texture is very important and one of the main things that will turn me away from certain foods.
I ve never really sat down an cataloged what i thought i could taste vs what i couldn’t, after reading this though I must say i don’t have problem with spices although i tend to eat things hotter in spices then most. The main thing i have a problem with is MILK omg i hate/love milk
love the taste of good milk and bad milk but i can’t tell the difference. once its to late and im keeled over with stomache pains than it sets in :< is there a way to tell if milk is bad without a sence of smell ?
29 · Kaz Green · Dec 24, 03:16 PM
It’s taken me to my forties to realise why I like strong coffee, strong cheese, hot curries, sour sweets and like to suck lemons…because my lack of smell has taken the edge off my taste ability, so I have to make up for it’s muffledness by eating these things…otherwise my food enjoyment would be zilch. I can’t taste garlic, so I put loads in my spag bol, along with TWO oxo cubes, and a BIG splash of worcester sauce. Luckily my family have taken on my need for strong tastes in certain dishes, too.
30 · Debbie · Jan 16, 11:07 AM
I lost my sense of smell over 3 yrs. ago and most of my taste. I can not smell anything…nope nothing at all. My sense of taste is hit or miss…I can not taste any fruits and some veggies and most spices. I can tell the difference between sweet and sour. coffee and tea have to be strong for me to taste…a cup of coffee from Starbucks is a waste of money for me…can’t taste it, so I only drink coffee at home. I can taste salt but not pepper. Texture is a big problem for me…I use to love bananas when I could taste them but now I can’t even stand the thought of eating one…it’s too mushy! Chocolate ice cream is the only flavor I have found that I can taste. Starburst is just sugar to me…no flavor at all. Peanut butter is another food item I can’t taste and I miss it. When I am offered a food item I know I can’t taste I turn it down and only say that I am allergic…way easier than explaining why I can’t taste it.
I do get cravings for things I know I can’t taste…like apples…so I eat an apple only tasting the sweetness of it because I figure that my body is telling me I need to eat an apple. Does anyone else get cravings for food they can’t taste?31 · Ethan D · Jan 18, 05:41 PM
This article could not have summed up my experiences any better! I am exactly the same way, thank you for righting this.
32 · Ethan D · Jan 18, 05:43 PM
I realize that I look like an idiot for using the righting instead of writing, sorry.