Electronic tongues for liquid analysis, based on the organizational principles of biological sensory systems, developed rapidly during the last decade. A brief historical overview of the research and development in the field of electronic tongue systems is presented. Current achievements of scientific groups working in this field are outlined and critically reviewed. The performance of electronic tongues in quantitative analysis and in classification of multicomponent media is considered. The exciting possibility of establishing a correlation between the output from an electronic tongue and human sensory assessment of food flavour, thereby enabling quantification of taste and flavour, is described. Application areas of electronic tongue systems including foodstuffs, clinical, industrial, and environmental analysis are discussed in depth. Prospective research and development in the field of electronic tongues is discussed.