The texture statement is an object modifier which describes what the surface of an object looks like, i.e. its material. Textures are combinations of pigments, normals, and finishes.
Pigment is the color or pattern of colors inherent in the material.
Normal is a method of simulating various patterns of bumps, dents, ripples or waves by modifying the surface normal vector. Finish describes the reflective properties of a material. Note that in previous versions of POV-Ray, the texture also contained information about the interior of an object. This information has been moved to a separate object modifier called interior . A plain texture consists of a single pigment, an optional normal, and a single finish.