Pungent Principles

The typical dictionary definition of pungency, ‘having an acrid smell or sharp bitter flavour’, does not sound particularly appetising. However, if we bear in mind that it is pungency which makes so many foods desirable, descriptions become more mouth-watering – tangy, zesty, spicy and piquant, for example. Nevertheless, pungency is still hard to define. Is it a flavour, a taste, or some other gustatory experience?