Sweet, sour, and salty -- all wonderful traditional tastes we were given. These days our meals include sweet juices, sodas, and sauces. We even have sour and salty plates like vinegar and pickles. In the American diet we have the basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Other parts of the world have even more tastes including additional; pungent, and astringent. Pungent tastes are spicy and astringent reflects what a persimmon fruit would taste like. Your tastes guide you to proper nutrition.