NCERT Solutions for Class 4th The World Around Us Chapter 5 Mystery Masala — Write and Discuss

Book page 74 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.

Can you think of at least five ingredients or food items that match each of the tastes listed below? Write them down in the spaces provided. See the example given below:

Answer

Here is the table with five food items written under each taste. The first line is the example the book gives.

Taste	Sweet	Sour	Salty	Pungent	Bitter	Astringent
Ingredients	Jaggery	Tamarind	Salt	Green chilli	Neem	Raw mango

The blank table as printed in the book.

Completed table:

Taste	Sweet	Sour	Salty	Pungent	Bitter	Astringent
Ingredients	Jaggery	Tamarind	Salt	Green chilli	Neem	Raw mango
1	Sugar	Lemon	Papad	Black pepper	Bitter gourd (karela)	Raw banana
2	Honey	Curd	Pickle	Ginger	Fenugreek (methi) leaves	Pomegranate
3	Banana	Amla	Namkeen	Mustard	Turmeric	Jamun
4	Ripe mango	Tomato	Salted lassi	Garlic	Fenugreek seeds	Unripe guava
5	Dates	Kokum	Rock salt	Radish	Drumstick leaves	Chickpea (chana)

Why it happens: Every food carries one taste more strongly than the others. Our tongue picks up that taste first, so we can sort foods into these six groups.

Did you know? These six tastes are called shad rasa in Ayurveda. Ugadi Pachadi puts all six in one bowl, which is why it tasted different to each child at the stall.

Check it yourself: Your table may have other names in it — that is fine. Just make sure each item really has that taste.

Q2.

Discuss in small groups and identify the food items having at least three different tastes.

Answer

The six tastes are the ones listed in the table just above this box on page 74.

Taste	Sweet	Sour	Salty	Pungent	Bitter	Astringent
Ingredients	Jaggery	Tamarind	Salt	Green chilli	Neem	Raw mango

The table as it is printed on page 74. Only the example row is filled; the five rows below are blank.

Foods that are cooked from many ingredients usually carry three or more tastes together.

Food item	Tastes you can find in it
Ugadi Pachadi	sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent (all six)
Tamarind chutney	sour, sweet, salty, pungent
Sambhar	sour, salty, pungent
Mango pickle	sour, salty, pungent
Panipuri water	sour, salty, pungent
Fruit chaat	sweet, sour, salty
Rasam	sour, salty, pungent

Sample answer: “Our group chose tamarind chutney. It is sour because of tamarind, sweet because of jaggery, salty because of salt, and pungent because of chilli.”

Why it happens: Each ingredient brings its own taste. When we cook them together, all those tastes stay in the same dish.

Try This: Ask at home what goes into your favourite chutney. Write each ingredient and the taste it brings.

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