This scan of the surface of the tongue shows that it is not smooth but is covered by a variety of tiny bumps called papillae.

The large, mushroom-shaped papillae house taste buds that detect five different tastes in food as a person eats. The spiky papillae lack taste buds but help the tongue grip food and move it around the mouth during chewing. Also visible is a scattering of small, dead cells that are constantly worn away from the tongue’s surface and then replaced.

The anterior two-thirds of the tongue contains the fungiform papillae. Each fungiform papilla contains up to eight taste buds, as well as somatosensory receptors for the sensations of pressure, touch, and temperature. The back edge of the tongue is marked by up to eight parallel folds called foliate papillae. The foliate papillae contain a total of approximately 1,300 taste buds. The final group of papillae is located in an inverted-V shape across the posterior third of the tongue. These circumvallate papillae are distinguished by their broad flat surface at the tongue’s surface, surrounded by deep and wide recesses. They contain a total of approximately 250 taste buds.

 

Picture Credit : Google