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According to ancient knowledge from India known as Ayurveda, all foods can be classified according to six tastes. These are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent.

In this system of Ayurveda, the tastes, also known as rasas, are understood to have a profound influence on our bodies and minds. 

In fact, the concept of rasa goes beyond simply the flavor of foods, to encompass the entire vital process by which we choose, ingest, digest, and excrete our food. 

Maya Tiwari, a teacher of Ayurveda and an early mentor of mine via “A Life of Balance,” describes rasa (taste) as a kind of intelligence that we can learn. 

Rasa is not “the irresponsible throwing together of foods that appeal simply to the sense of sight and taste irrespective of ingestion and digestion,” according to Tiwari.  

Rather, “The delicious taste that ensues from foods knowledgeably and cleanly prepared is only one of the many graces of rasa.”

Ayurveda supports a greater awareness of nature and the universe, and promotes eating in accordance with the seasons. 

The knowledge of rasa invites us to add more awareness to our daily cooking. In turn, we can experience the joy of balanced living.

I cook according to the six tastes every day, and so can you!

In my personal experience, cooking according to the six tastes has been a profoundly rewarding lifelong pursuit. 

It is clear that when you succeed in including all six flavors in your meal, your meal is transformed. 

A balanced and complete flavor profile will elevate your meal from average to astounding—and beyond—to utter bliss. 

I call this the bliss effect, and I write about it in “The Six Secrets to Flavor That Make Eating Blissful.” 

You can also check my guide and learn the seven steps I follow every day to create incredible, balanced flavor in my dishes. 

The reference charts below will help you plan your meals, and prepare blissful food.

If you need recipes and inspiration, visit my vegetarian food blog Buttered Veg. All the recipes over there include the six tastes.

In fact, cooking with these recipes may be the fastest way to experience bliss from your food. 

By the way, I am not talking about the temporary bliss that comes from indulging in a Rocky Road Ice Cream Sundae. 

I am talking about real, healthy, vegetarian food! Satisfying in every way.

How to read the six tastes reference charts

Below, you will find a complete reference resource for all the foods, spices, and teas you can imagine cooking with, classified according to the six tastes.

These charts categorize foods according to their tastes, as well as their basic energies of heating or cooling. 

Most foods are comprised of two main tastes, but sometimes it’s more than two, and sometimes it’s just one.

If an ingredient has only one of the two tastes listed in the heading, it will be indicated in parentheses. It will also be indicated in parentheses if the food has more than the two tastes listed in the header. 

For a quick tip to use this reference, just hit command “F” (on a Mac) or control “F” (on Windows), which will pop up a search window. Then you can search for the ingredient you are curious about. 

You can also read through the charts in their entirety, and familiarize yourself with the flavors of the foods. You may be surprised by what you learn. 

While you are reviewing it, think about which flavors you eat the most of, and which flavors you feel you should have more of? 

If you would like to learn about the medicinal effects of the six tastes, VISIT THIS POST.

There are plenty of insights here, so go ahead and check it out! 

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AYURVEDA’S SIX TASTES INGREDIENT REFERENCE CHARTS

VEGETABLES

Sweet/Astringent; Cooling
Asparagus Broccoli Cabbage (pungent) Cauliflower (astringent) Celery (astringent) Cucumbers Gourd squash Green beans	Jerusalem artichokes (astringent, bitter) Lettuce (astringent) Okra Parsnip Peas (pungent) Potatoes, white (salty) Spinach (astringent, pungent)	Sprouts (astringent, pungent) Sweet potatoes Taro potatoes (salty) Winter squash: acorn, buttercup, butternut, spaghetti Zucchini (bitter)
Bitter/Astringent; Cooling
Arugula (bitter, pungent) Collards (bitter) Dandelion Greens	Endive (bitter) Kale (bitter)	Kerala (bitter) Sprouts (astringent)
Sweet/Pungent; Heating
Artichoke (sweet, astringent) Beets Beet greens Bell peppers (pungent) Burdock root (astringent, bitter) Carrots Corn, fresh (sweet, astringent)	Daikon (pungent) Eggplant (astringent, bitter) Garlic (pungent) Horseradish (pungent) Landcress (pungent) Leeks Mushrooms (sweet, astringent) Olives, black Onions Parsley (pungent)	Peppers (pungent) Plantain (sweet, astringent) Radish (pungent) Tomatoes (sour) Turnips (pungent, astringent) Turnip greens (pungent, astringent) Watercress

FRUITS

Sweet/Astringent; Cooling
Apples Avocado Berries Coconut (sweet)	Dates (sweet) Figs, ripe Grapes, purple Melon (sweet)	Pears Prunes (sweet) Raisins Watermelon
Sour; Cooling
Limes (bitter) Mango, green	Pomegranate (sweet, astringent) Quince (sour, sweet)	Strawberries (sour, sweet) Tamarind
Sweet/Sour; Heating
Cantaloupe (sweet) Grapes, green Lemons (sour)	Oranges Papaya	Pineapple Soursop
Sweet/Astringent; Heating
Apricots Bananas (sweet, sour) Cherries (sweet, sour)	Cranberries (sour) Mango, ripe (sweet) Peaches	Persimmon Plums Rhubarb
Sweet/Sour; Cooling
Rhubarb	Strawberries

GRAINS

Sweet/Astringent; Cooling
Barley Basmati rice (sweet)	Cereals (sweet) Wheat (sweet)	Wheat bran (sweet) White rice (sweet)
Sweet/Astringent; Heating
Brown rice (sweet) Buckwheat Cornmeal (sweet; dry)	Corn (sweet; dry) Millet (sweet; dry) Oat bran (sweet; dry)	Oats (sweet; dry) Rye Triticale
Pungent/Sweet; Heating
Amaranth	Quinoa

BEANS, LEGUMES & PEAS

Sweet/Astringent; Cooling
Aduki beans Black beans Black-eyed peas Chickpeas	Lima beans Mung beans Pinto beans Soybeans	Split peas Tofu White beans
Sweet/Astringent; Heating
Kidney beans Lentils, brown and red	Navy beans Toor dal (sweet)	Urad dal
Pungent/Astringent; Heating
Tempeh

SPICES, HERBS, CONDIMENTS & SEAWEEDS

Pungent; Heating
Allspice Ajwain Anise Asafetida Basil Bay leaf Black pepper Caraway Cayenne Celery Seed	Cloves (aromatic) Curry powder (bitter) Ginger (sweet) Horseradish Marjoram Mustard seeds Nutmeg Oregano Paprika	Parsley Pippali Rosemary (bitter) Sage (bitter, astringent) Savory Star anise Tarragon (bitter) Thyme Turmeric (bitter)
Pungent/Sweet; Heating
Cardamom Cinnamon (astringent) Fenugreek leaves (bitter)	Garam masala (bitter) Mace Onion	Orange peel (pungent, bitter, aromatic)
Bitter/Astringent; Heating
Fenugreek seed
Salty; Heating
Black salt	Mineral salt	Sea salt
Pungent/Salty; Heating
Most seaweeds
Bitter/Pungent; Cooling
Black cumin Coriander Cumin	Dill leaves and seeds Peppermint (pungent) Neem leaves (bitter)	Mint leaves (pungent) Spearmint (pungent) Wintergreen (pungent)
Sweet/Pungent; Cooling
Fennel	Saffron (astringent, bitter)	Vanilla (pungent, astringent)
Sweet; Cooling
Kudzu	Rose water

SWEETENERS

Sweet; Cooling
Barley malt (astringent) Brown rice syrup Brown sugar, unrefined Dates	Fructose Fruit juice concentrates (astringent) Maple syrup (bitter)	Sucanat Sugarcane juice White sugar
Sweet; Heating
Amasake Honey (astringent)	Jaggary	Molasses (pungent)

OILS & FATS

Sweet; Heating
Almond oil Apricot oil Corn oil	Safflower oil (astringent) Sesame oil (bitter, astringent)	Vegetable oil, mixed Walnut oil
Sweet; Cooling
Avocado oil Canola oil	Coconut oil Soy oil	Sunflower oil
Pungent; Heating
Mustard oil	Olive oil
Sweet/Bitter/Pungent; Heating
Castor oil

DAIRY

Sweet; Cooling
Butter, unsalted (astringent) Cheese, unsalted (sour)	Cow’s milk Ghee	Goat’s milk Mother’s milk
Sour/Astringent; Heating
Buttermilk Cheese, salted (pungent)	Sour cream	Yogurt

NUTS & SEEDS

Sweet/Astringent; Heating
Almonds (sweet) Cashews (sweet) Filberts	Macadamia (sweet) Peanuts Pecans	Pine nuts Pistachios Walnuts
Pungent/Sweet; Heating
Chia seeds Flax seeds (sweet; astringent)	Poppy seeds (astringent) Pumpkin seeds (sweet, bitter, astringent)	Sesame seeds (sweet)
Sweet/Astringent; Cooling
Psyllium seeds	Sunflower seeds

MEATS

Sweet; Heating
Beef Chicken Chicken fat	Chicken livers Duck Fish and shrimp	Lamb Turkey
Sweet/Salty; Heating
Eggs	Anchovy
Sweet/Salty; Cooling
Bone marrow fat (astringent)	Mussels	Clams
Astringent; Neutral
Bone broth

HERBS & TEAS

Sweet/Astringent; Cooling
Alfalfa Barley (sweet) Blackberry (astringent)	Borage Lotus Nettle (astringent)	Oat straw (sweet) Raspberry Strawberry
Bitter/Pungent; Cooling
Chamomile Chicory (bitter) Elder flower Hops Jasmine	Lavender (pungent) Lemongrass Passion flower (bitter) Pau d’arco (bitter) Peppermint (pungent)	Peruvian bark (pungent) Spearmint (pungent) Violet Wintergreen (pungent) Yarrow (astringent)
Pungent; Heating
Ajwain Basil Calamus (bitter) Cardamom (sweet) Cinnamon (sweet, astringent) Clove	Eucalyptus Fenugreek (bitter, sweet) Ginger, dried or fresh (sweet) Ginseng (bitter, sweet) Hyssop (bitter) Juniper berries (bitter, sweet)	Mugwort (bitter) Orange peel Osha (bitter) Pennyroyal Wild ginger
Astringent/Sweet; Heating
Burdock (astringent, bitter)	Hawthorn (sweet, sour)	Hibiscus
Bitter/Sweet; Cooling
Chrysanthemum Dandelion Licorice	Marshmallow (sweet) Red clover Sandalwood (astringent)	Sarsparilla
Sweet/Pungent; Cooling
Corn silk Fennel	Lemon balm Rose flowers	Saffron (bitter)

Source: “A Life of Balance,” by Maya Tiwari