In Ayurveda there are six tastes, five elements, and twenty qualities. Each taste is made up of the five elements-ether, air, fire, water, and earth. Each element is characterized by its own set of qualities. It is the qualities that determine the effect of the element, and thus also the taste in foods. When we know the set of elements in a given taste and the qualities of those elements, then we know the action of that taste. And knowing the tastes in our food, we know the effect of our food on us.

It will help to study the accompanying diagram. For example, sweet taste is made up of earth and water elements. Earth element has heavy, stable, and dense qualities, while water element has liquid and soft qualities. So sweet taste has heavy, stable, dense, liquid, and soft qualities.

Using the diagram, you can see some of the following connections between the tastes:

Sauteed Green Salad Predominant taste: bitter. Balancing for pitta and kapha; increases vata. 4 cs. leafy greens; washed, packed, chopped and de-stemmed (such as kale, chard, collard greens) 2 Tbsps. olive oil 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1/4 tsp. salt 2 tsps. lime juice 3 tsps. water Add the oil and greens to pan (first shake all the water off) and sautÈ, covered, for two minutes. Add the water, cover, and cook until the water evaporates. Toss with salt and pepper, and serve.

Gomashu Garnish Predominant taste: salty. Calming to vata; may increase pitta and kapha. 1 c. packed, dried seaweed, such as dulse 2 Tbsps. sesame seeds 1/2 tsp. salt 4 Tbsps. soy sauce Crumble or dice seaweed into small pieces. Mix with the salt and seeds in heavy pan. Brown lightly on low heat. Sprinkle on the soy sauce, coating the pieces. When no more soy sauce sticks to the pieces, take the pan off the heat and allow the mixture to dry. This mix can be kept for a couple of months in a jar by the kitchen table as a condiment.

Tamarind Chutney Predominant taste: sour. Balances all three doshas. 3 tsps. tamarind paste (oriental grocery store) 1 onion, medium, chopped 1 Tbsp. shredded coconut 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice 1 pinch ajwan seeds 1/2 tsp. coriander 1/2 tsp. cumin 1/4 tsp. turmeric 1/4 tsp. ginger powder 1/4 tsp. salt 2 Tbsps. sesame oil Blend chopped onion in a blender to a paste. In a small pot, sautÈ the onion paste until it is sweet, about 15 minutes. Add all the other ingredients. Stir, and remove from the heat. Allow to cool before serving. Use as a garnish.

Yogurt Lassi Predominant taste: astringent. Balances all three doshas. 1/4 c. yogurt (fresh, if you like to make your own) 1/4 c. water 1/8 tsp. cumin powder 1/8 tsp. coriander powder 1/8 tsp. fennel powder 1/8 tsp. black pepper, ground 1/8 tsp. salt Blend together in a blender for one minute. Or, put in a bottle and shake together. This is a digestive drink. A little glass of it can be taken at the end of a meal. Serve at room temperature, 1º4 cup per person.

Ginger Chutney Predominant taste: pungent. Balancing for vata and kapha; may increase pitta, particularly in the summer. 3 Tbsps. fresh ginger, grated 1/4 c. shredded carrot 1 Tbsp. raw sugar (turbinado) 1/4 tsp. cumin powder 1 clove garlic, diced 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. mustard seeds 3 Tbsps. sesame oil In a small pot over medium heat, ìpopî the mustard seeds in the sesame oil (keep the lid on). Add the powdered spices, ginger, and carrot. SautÈ until the carrot softens. Take the pan off the heat. Add the sugar, salt, and lime. Mix well. Let sit in a closed container for a couple of hours before serving.

Sweeet Potato Pudding Predominant taste: sweet. Calming to vata and pitta; slightly increases kapha. 4 medium sweet potatoes 2 Tbsps. butter 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cardamom 1/8 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. nutmeg Bake potatoes in a greased, covered dish at 350 degrees until very soft, about one hour. They will smell sweet. Burned sweet potatoes smell bitter. Scoop the flesh out of the skins into a bowl. (Alternatively, you can peel and dice the potatoes. Put them in a medium pot, add enough water to cover, and boil until the pieces are soft and sweet. Blend in a blender until smooth, then put the mixture in a bowl.) Add the spices and butter. Mash together to an even, creamy consistency. Serve hot.

Sour, salty, and pungent have fire element, and so increase body temperature, dilate body channels, allow and encourage energy and toxins to flow out from the body. They also create hot emotions such as jealousy, lust, and anger. They are metabolic and transformative.

Sweet, bitter, and astringent have no fire, and thus are cooling. They promote calm, constrict all physical vessels, reduce digestive capacity, and cool hot emotions.

Sweet, sour, and salty have water element, and increase taste, soften tissues, ease mucus membranes, increase body water retention and watery emotions. They are anabolic. It is no coincidence that one cannot taste without water and one does not cry without emotion; water is the carrier of emotion. Note: even though sour taste has no water element, it shares many of these liquid qualities, perhaps because the combination of its fire and earth elements produces water.

Most people are familiar with sweet, sour, and salty, but are not so familiar with pungent, bitter, and astringent. These three have no water element and lighten all tissues, dry wounds, and make for "dry" emotions. They are catabolic.

Thousands of years ago the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita spoke clearly of the actions of the six tastes:
Sweet promotes bodily tissues, aids in longevity, is soothing to the five sense organs, and adds bulk and firmness. Yet when used to excess it creates obesity, weak digestion, swelling of the lymph glands, and a tendency toward excessive sleep and heaviness.

Sour improves the taste of food, enkindles digestive fire, adds bulk to the body, invigorates, awakens the mind, dispels intestinal gas, and promotes salivation. In excess, it makes teeth sensitive, wastes muscles, and causes thirst and buildup of toxins in the blood.

Salty promotes digestion; gives taste to food; is moistening, laxative, and sedative; enkindles digestion; relieves stiffness; promotes salivation; and softens all organs. In excess, it causes stagnation of blood, thirst, fainting, wasting of muscles, wrinkling of the skin, graying of the hair, and hyperacidity of digestion, and aggravates infectious skin conditions.

Pungent is cleansing to the mouth, purifies food, gives clarity to the senses, cures diseases of excess liquid in the body, helps resolution of skin growths, is germicidal, opens the vessels, and moves blood clots and blood stagnation. In excess, it causes weariness, emaciation, dizziness, thirst, and piercing and stabbing pains.

Bitter, though it does not taste good in itself, restores the sense of taste, is detoxifying, antibacterial, germicidal, antipyretic, relieves fainting and thirst, enkindles digestion of food and toxins, and scrapes away fat. In excess, it causes wasting away of the tissues, roughness in the vessels, weakness, and dryness.
Astringent is drying, firming, and sedative; it stops diarrhea, aids closing and healing of wounds, stops bleeding, and promotes absorption of bodily fluids. In excess, it causes drying, premature aging, pain in the heart, constipation, obstruction of circulatory channels, retention of wastes, emaciation, spasms and convulsions; it darkens the skin and weakens vitality.

It is important to know that a balanced intake of the tastes does not mean equal proportions. Foods of sweet taste should make up at least 80% of the meal. That's because sweet is the only truly nourishing, building taste. But we needn't add sugar or honey; many of the foods we normally eat, such as cooked rice and wheat, are sweet.

The other five tastes are added in moderate amounts. Most legumes, as well as many greens, are good sources of astringent taste. Greens are also a good source of bitter. Pungent is easily provided by such spices as ginger, cardamom, and black pepper. For salty, use sea salt or rock salt. For sour, perhaps a lime slice, squeezed over one's meal.

For a healthy daily meal, grains, beans, and vegetables, cooked with a pinch of salt and spices, and garnished with some lime and cilantro leaf (astringent), is excellent routine fare. For those who wish to play with the actions of tastes, here are some simple side dishes. Each has one of the six tastes that is dominant, and will serve about five people. Enjoy!