The word taste is used in many ways but is most often—and misleadingly—used to describe the overall experience of food. In reality, what we perceive as flavor arises from the integration of multiple senses, including smell, taste, vision, touch, and sound. Visual presentation, temperature, texture, and even the sound of chewing all shape how food is experienced, while loss of smell, as during a common cold, dramatically diminishes flavor perception. Eating is therefore a fundamentally multisensory process. The brain continuously integrates information from these sensory systems to guide food choice, ensure safety, and enhance pleasure. To avoid sensory overload, much of this processing relies on predictions based on prior experience. As in habitual activities such as driving, expected sensory input is handled automatically, while unexpected changes draw conscious attention. During eating, such deviations are particularly salient, as they may signal spoiled or unsafe food. However, when sensory function itself is altered, the brain’s predictions are disrupted despite unchanged food properties, leading to altered or diminished flavor perception.