Pungency /ˈpʌn(d)ʒənsi/ is the condition of having a strong, sharp smell or taste that is often so strong that it is unpleasant. Pungency is the technical term used by scientists to refer to the characteristic of food commonly referred to as spiciness or hotness and sometimes heat, which is found in foods such as chili peppers.The term piquancy /ˈpiːkənsi/ is sometimes used to refer to a lower degree of pungency (than that of chilli) such as that of mustard, but it more often refers to mild pungency and flavors and spices that are much less strong than chilli peppers, including, for example, the strong flavor of some tomatoes. In other words, pungency always refers to a very strong taste whereas piquancy refers to any spices and foods that are "agreeably stimulating to the palate", in other words to food that is spicy in the general sense of "well-spiced".Pungency is associated with the sense of taste, and in various Asian countries it has traditionally been considered a basic taste.[citation needed]