Retronasal perception
German: Retronasale Wahrnehmung Pronunciation: re-tro-na-sal Also known as: Retronasal, Retronasales Riechen
Perception of aromas that travel from the mouth through the throat to the nose when exhaling, shaping the flavour impression.
Retronasal means that aroma compounds reach the olfactory epithelium not from outside through the nose but from the mouth via the connection in the throat. This happens mainly when exhaling after swallowing.
This route explains why food and drink have hardly any taste when the nose is blocked: most of the flavour experience is actually smell. In tasting, retronasal perception is used deliberately, for example by breathing out slowly through the nose after a sip to recognise the aftertaste better and compare it with the scent at the glass.
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