Umami is so yesterday

Remember when the so-called "fifth taste" seemed all shiny and new? We'd been tasting sweet, sour, salty, and bitter all our lives, but suddenly there was this savory taste called umami. We ate strong cheeses, mushrooms, and soy sauce and exulted.

But now scientists say they've discovered a sixth taste: calcium. Here's the full story from LiveScience.

What does calcium taste like? "Calcium-y," researcher Michael Tordoff says. "There isn't a better word for it. It is bitter, perhaps even a little sour. But it's much more because there are actual receptors for calcium, not just bitter or sour compounds."

Though dairy products are high in calcium, the mineral binds to fats and proteins, which means you don't taste it as much as in, say, high-calcium vegetables such as kale and bitter melon.

This may in part explain why some people don't much like such vegetables. At high levels, Tordoff says, calcium actually tastes fairly nasty.

Long live umami!