Imagery is a literary device that allows writers to paint pictures in their reader’s minds. This is usually achieved by appealing to the reader’s five senses. Of the many types of imagery, we are going to learn about gustatory imagery.

The definition of gustatory imagery

Gustatory imagery refers to the type of imagery that appeals to the reader’s sense of taste. Through gustatory imagery, writers can expand their imaginations and make their readers experience taste, even without the actual stimulus of taste.

The importance of gustatory imagery

With gustatory imagery, the writer’s imagination is not limited to a narration, where the writer solely interacts with or challenges the reader’s mind. The writer gets to play around with the reader’s taste buds in an opportunity to spice up the story and make it memorable. Who forgets something that tasted really good to them?

Examples of words that evoke gustatory imagery

The taste of ink from a pen

The taste of chewing gum

The taste of phlegm

The taste of dust

The taste of cold metal

The taste of a corroded/ old coin

The taste of a ripening banana

The taste of stale bread

The taste of earwax

Examples of adjectives that describe taste

Chocolaty

Buttery

Bubbly

Creamy

Savory

Delicious

Fishy

Oily

Greasy

Fried

Boiled

Herby

Nutty

Caramel

Citrus

Sour

Sweet

Bitter

Crispy

Juicy

Powdery

Grapey

Powdery

Lemony

How to use gustatory imagery

Establish or identify the type of taste you want to talk about

Establishing the type of taste you want to talk about will help to make your description more precise. For instance, the words you use to describe a sour taste are not the same as the words you use to describe a sweet taste.

Use appropriate words for your descriptions

Rather use precise words for your descriptions. This will make your ideas more effective to the reader. When describing taste, accompany your descriptions with words that closely associate with and precisely describe a particular taste. For example:

It is more appropriate to say: The sour taste of lemon

Instead of: The sweet taste of lemon

Incorporate the use of facial expressions

Facial expressions will help writers describe taste effectively. Sometimes the reader may fail to comprehend the writer’s descriptions of taste, but introducing him or her to related facial expressions will make them experience the writer’s intended effect of taste. For example:

Instead of saying: After taking a bite and chewing the fruit, she spat it out, saying it was sour.

You can say: After taking a bite and chewing the fruit, the sharp sour taste made her scrunch up her face, and she spat it out saying it was sour.

More examples of the use of gustatory imagery

The crab soup had a rich, seafood flavor.

The crunch of the peanuts filled Abbie’s mouth with a familiar salty taste.

Diana loved the exquisite, subtle, salty flavor of the caviar.

She thought it was a pear, but she was shocked when she took a bite and her mouth exploded with tart juices.

Sources

https://oakwords.tumblr.com/post/...

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-gustatory-imagery.html