If you're counting hot=chili=capsaicin as a taste, you should also count cold=mint=menthol. Not sure where https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper falls in that

Your comment gave me an extra insight into Sichuan pepper, which I love, given one of my favourite dishes is Kung Pao Chicken [0].

It's a difficult taste to describe, but it's almost like chili that's "cold"/"icy" instead of "hot"/"burning".

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Pao_chicken

I had this yesterday for dinner (and far too often here in Singapore in general, it's amazing) without ever knowing the history or proper name.

Thank you for the reference.

As an aside - if you like Szechuan pepper, these[1] are delicious.

[1] https://www.amazon.com/Huang-Spicy-Crispy-Peanut-Ounce/dp/B0...

Is starch not astringent? I know I used to confuse the two before I understood what astringent was. “This is like eating a banana peel.”

You haven’t tried astringent until you’ve had an Asian persimmon like Hachiya that’s not quite ready.

Persimmons are what taught me about astringent. I stick to fuyu. They just taste like cardboard if you guess wrong.