Taste buds. Coloured light micrograph of a section through the tongue, showing taste buds (round, purple). The taste buds are within papillae (projections) located on the surface of the tongue. Taste buds are mostly found on the tongue but are also scattered on the palate, pharynx and epiglottis. They are situated in an epithelial layer (red) and have a taste pore that is exposed to the food meeting the tongue. The five types of taste are: sweet, bitter, acid, salt and umami. Each taste is recognised on a different region of the tongue, the taste buds all have the same structure. Magnification: x65 when printed at 10 centimetres across.