Background: Eventhough the presence of taste buds on epiglottis has been documented, majority of studies were conducted on animals. Human studies are few. Aims: To note the distribution and age changes of taste buds on human epiglottis. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in 41 specimens of epiglottis collected from the Department of Forensic Medicine and Labour Room, Govt Medical College, Kozhikode. Tissue bits from the upper two thirds of epiglottis were fixed, processed, stained and analysed under light microscope. Results: Taste buds were located in the epithelium lining the posterior surface of epiglottis. Their number varied from 0–7/ low power field. Statistical analysis revealed no significant correlation between the number of taste buds and age.