The tongue map or taste map is a common misconception that different sections of the tongue are exclusively responsible for different basic tastes. It is illustrated with a schematic map

Map

A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....

 of the tongue

Tongue

The tongue is a muscular hydrostat on the floors of the mouths of most vertebrates which manipulates food for mastication. It is the primary organ of taste , as much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva, and is richly...

, with certain parts of the tongue labeled for each taste. Although widely taught in schools, this was scientifically disproven

Scientific evidence

Scientific evidence has no universally accepted definition but generally refers to evidence which serves to either support or counter a scientific theory or hypothesis. Such evidence is generally expected to be empirical and properly documented in accordance with scientific method such as is...

 by later research; all taste sensations come from all regions of the tongue.

History

The theory behind this map originated from a paper written by Harvard psychologist Edwin G. Boring

Edwin G. Boring

Edwin Garrigues Boring was an experimental psychologist who later became one of the first historians of psychology. He was born on October 23, 1886 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in a Quaker family dominated by women; he was the youngest and only son in a family of four...

, which was a translation of a German paper, Zur Psychophysik des Geschmackssinnes, that was written in 1901. The unclear representation of data in the former paper suggested that each part of the tongue tastes exactly one basic taste.

Actually, the paper showed minute differences in threshold detection levels across the tongue.
These differences were later taken out of context and the minute difference in threshold sensitivity related simply in textbook

Textbook

A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...

s as a difference in sensitivity.

So, while some parts of the tongue may be able to detect a taste before the others do, all parts are equally good at conveying the qualia

Qualia

Qualia , singular "quale" , from a Latin word meaning for "what sort" or "what kind," is a term used in philosophy to refer to subjective conscious experiences as 'raw feels'. Examples of qualia are the pain of a headache, the taste of wine, the experience of taking a recreational drug, or the...

of all tastes. Threshold sensitivity may differ across the tongue, intensity of sensation does not.

The same article included a taste bud distribution diagram that showed a "taste belt".

In 1974, a scientist named Virginia Collings investigated the topic again, and confirmed that all the tastes exist on all parts of the tongue.

Taste belt

The misinterpreted 1901 diagram in the article that sparked this myth shows human taste buds distributed in a "taste belt" the outside of the tongue.

A. Hoffmann has concluded prior in 1875 that the dorsal center of the human tongue has practically no fungiform papillae and taste sulfuric acid on it. buds, and it was this finding that the diagram describes.