Crispiness or crispness (OE. crisp, cyrps, a. L. crispus curled. Cf. OF. crespe curled, mod.F. crêpe.) is the gustatory sensation of brittleness in the mouth, such that the food item shatters immediately upon mastication. Crispiness differs from crunchiness in that a crunchy food continues to provide its material sensation after a few chews. On the other hand, a crispy food quickly loses the 'taut' equilibrium of its material, such as a tightly wrapped sausage.