What exactly is umami?
Taking its name from Japanese, umami is a pleasant savoury taste imparted by glutamate, a type of amino acid, and ribonucleotides, including inosinate and guanylate, which occur naturally in many foods including meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products. As the taste of umami itself is subtle and blends well with other tastes to expand and round out flavors, most people don't recognize umami when they encounter it, but it plays an important role making food taste delicious.
Food Acceptability and umami
When humans eat, they use all of their senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste) to form general judgments about their food, but it is taste that is the most influential in determining how delicious a food is. Conventionally, it has been thought that our sense of taste is comprised of four basic, or 'primary', tastes, which cannot be replicated by mixing together any of the other primaries: sweet, sour, salt and bitter. However, it is now known that there is actually the fifth primary taste: umami.
The discovery of umami- the fifth taste
Umami discovered by a Japanese scientist
Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University
Dashi stock made from kombu (kelp) has long been an indispensable part of Japanese cuisine. It has also long been known that the active ingredients contained within kombu hold the key to its delicious taste. This did not escape the attention of Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University, now the University of Tokyo, and he undertook research to ascertain the true nature of this 'deliciousness'. In 1908, Ikeda succeeded in extracting glutamate from kombu. He discovered that glutamate (or glutamic acid) was the main active ingredient in kombu and coined the term 'umami' to describe its taste. He was sure that this taste was held in common by other foods that a savory flavor, including those used in Western meals such as tomatoes and meat, and, indeed, upon investigation it was discovered that these foodstuffs also contained umami.
"Those who pay careful attention to their tastebuds will discover in the complex flavour of asparagus, tomatoes, cheese and meat, a common and yet absolutely singular taste which cannot be called sweet, or sour, or salty, or bitter..."
Dr. Kikunae Ikeda, Eighth International Congress of Applied Chemistry, Washington 1912
Turning umami into a globally-recognized term
In the wake of glutamate, other ingredients that offer the umami taste, namely inosinate which is found in bonito flakes, and guanylate which is present in shiitake mushroom stock, were discovered. The four basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty and bitter have been widely recognized for hundreds of years, but it wasn't until the 1980's that various studies proved that umami, found in glutamate, actually constituted a legitimate fifth basic taste. Since then, umami's status as 'the fifth taste' has been recognized internationally.
Umami is actually used in various forms all over the world. In Asia, umami is mainly found in beans and grain, fermented seafood-based products, shiitake mushrooms, kombu and dried seafood. In Western cuisine, there are also fermented or cured products derived from meat and dairy products, namely ham and cheese. The most well-known ingredient is the tomato.
Asian fermented seasonings
Different types of fermented seasoning can be found throughout the world. Fish sauces such as Num Pla in Thailand and Nuoc Mum in Vietnam, along with a range of fermented products typified by miso and soy sauce, have long been used and appreciated in Asian countries. Fermented condiments are made by adding salt to fish, beans, grains, etc., and allowing them to ferment. During the fermentation process, proteins are broken down into their constituent amino acids, and a condiment which contains high quantities of glutamate is produced. Particularly in Asian countries with a tradition of wet rice cultivation, daily cooking which does not include the addition of seasonings is unimaginable. This is a particular characteristic of countries where white rice, vegetables and fish form the staple diet. Rice based diets and simple forms of umami are very closely linked.
Fermented foods in Ancient Rome
Throughout the Ancient Roman Empire, fermented fish sauces called garum and liquamen were used as seasonings. These ingredients were equally as important as wine and olive oil. They were produced in the same way as the fermented condiments of South East Asia, with fish such as sardines and mackerels being salted and fermented. In particular, the amber-colored garum extracted first from the fermentation process was most highly prized. The famous 'Apecius Cookbook' of Ancient Rome contains many recipes where, in times when there was no sugar or salt, garum was frequently used. One could say that garum was prized as a condiment which combined umami and saltiness. The use of garum died out along with the Roman Empire, however anchovy paste and sauce can be seen as its modern counterpart.Fish bones found inside a container from the Garum shop Courtesy: Dr. Curtis, University Georgia, USA
The worldwide permeation of the umami taste of tomatoes
Tomatoes, which originated in South America, were brought to Europe when Columbus discovered the continent. It appears that they were originally used for medicinal purposes, but in Italy they underwent a re-evaluation, and were used as a foodstuff, forming the basis of a wide variety of dishes, and are now an indispensable ingredient of Italian cuisine. In the UK, Worcester Sauce was made from tomatoes and a wide variety of other vegetables, and this was eventually exported to America, along with tomato sauce and paste, where a variety of processed foods such as ketchup and chili sauce were produced. Today, tomatoes are one of the most widely produced vegetables on the planet and their umami taste is appreciated all over the world.
The synergistic effect of umami is employed in stock all over the world
Stock is the basis of cooking all over the world. Various kinds of stock are made using a variety of ingredients, with kombu and bonito flakes being used in Japanese 'dashi', and meat and vegetables used in Western 'bouillon' and Chinese 'tan'. It can be said of all these types of stock, however, that they skilfully combine and draw out the umami flavour of the glutamate contained in kombu and vegetables and the inosinate found in bonito flakes and meat. Although the synergistic effect of umami was only discovered scientifically in 1960, this effect was being put to good use all over the world long before this in the form of stock.
The composition of umami
Amino acids - a crucial element in flavor
The umami taste was initially found to appear with the presence of glutamate - a type of amino acid. After this discovery, research investigating the connection between amino acids - a structural element of protein - and the taste of food continued, and it was eventually discovered that each of the twenty kinds of amino acids possesses its own unique taste. The combination of these various tastes is an important element in determining the flavor of foods.
Examples
Enhancing good taste - the synergistic effect of umami
Apart from the amino acid glutamate, the umami taste is also given by the nucleotides inosinate, which can be found in meat and fish, and guanylate, which is found in mushrooms. The synergistic effect of these different types of umami has been scientifically proven - that is, that by combining these different kinds of umami, the umami taste is significantly magnified. Japanese people have been making use of ingredients containing different types of umami in their dashi stock, which forms the basis of many Japanese meals. Ichiban dashi, for example, contains kombu (kelp) which is rich in glutamate and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) which contain a large quantity of inosinate. These culinary conventions are the result of understanding the synergistic effect of umami through practical experience.
Ways of combining umami
The synergistic effect of umami has been put to use in Japanese, Western, Chinese and all kinds of cuisines throughout history.
Taking its name from Japanese, umami is a pleasant savoury taste imparted by glutamate, a type of amino acid, and ribonucleotides, including inosinate and guanylate, which occur naturally in many foods including meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products. As the taste of umami itself is subtle and blends well with other tastes to expand and round out flavors, most people don't recognize umami when they encounter it, but it plays an important role making food taste delicious.
Food Acceptability and umami
When humans eat, they use all of their senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste) to form general judgments about their food, but it is taste that is the most influential in determining how delicious a food is. Conventionally, it has been thought that our sense of taste is comprised of four basic, or 'primary', tastes, which cannot be replicated by mixing together any of the other primaries: sweet, sour, salt and bitter. However, it is now known that there is actually the fifth primary taste: umami.
The discovery of umami- the fifth taste
Umami discovered by a Japanese scientist
Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University
Dashi stock made from kombu (kelp) has long been an indispensable part of Japanese cuisine. It has also long been known that the active ingredients contained within kombu hold the key to its delicious taste. This did not escape the attention of Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University, now the University of Tokyo, and he undertook research to ascertain the true nature of this 'deliciousness'. In 1908, Ikeda succeeded in extracting glutamate from kombu. He discovered that glutamate (or glutamic acid) was the main active ingredient in kombu and coined the term 'umami' to describe its taste. He was sure that this taste was held in common by other foods that a savory flavor, including those used in Western meals such as tomatoes and meat, and, indeed, upon investigation it was discovered that these foodstuffs also contained umami.
"Those who pay careful attention to their tastebuds will discover in the complex flavour of asparagus, tomatoes, cheese and meat, a common and yet absolutely singular taste which cannot be called sweet, or sour, or salty, or bitter..."
Dr. Kikunae Ikeda, Eighth International Congress of Applied Chemistry, Washington 1912
Turning umami into a globally-recognized term
In the wake of glutamate, other ingredients that offer the umami taste, namely inosinate which is found in bonito flakes, and guanylate which is present in shiitake mushroom stock, were discovered. The four basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty and bitter have been widely recognized for hundreds of years, but it wasn't until the 1980's that various studies proved that umami, found in glutamate, actually constituted a legitimate fifth basic taste. Since then, umami's status as 'the fifth taste' has been recognized internationally.
Umami is actually used in various forms all over the world. In Asia, umami is mainly found in beans and grain, fermented seafood-based products, shiitake mushrooms, kombu and dried seafood. In Western cuisine, there are also fermented or cured products derived from meat and dairy products, namely ham and cheese. The most well-known ingredient is the tomato.
Asian fermented seasonings
Different types of fermented seasoning can be found throughout the world. Fish sauces such as Num Pla in Thailand and Nuoc Mum in Vietnam, along with a range of fermented products typified by miso and soy sauce, have long been used and appreciated in Asian countries. Fermented condiments are made by adding salt to fish, beans, grains, etc., and allowing them to ferment. During the fermentation process, proteins are broken down into their constituent amino acids, and a condiment which contains high quantities of glutamate is produced. Particularly in Asian countries with a tradition of wet rice cultivation, daily cooking which does not include the addition of seasonings is unimaginable. This is a particular characteristic of countries where white rice, vegetables and fish form the staple diet. Rice based diets and simple forms of umami are very closely linked.
Fermented foods in Ancient Rome
Throughout the Ancient Roman Empire, fermented fish sauces called garum and liquamen were used as seasonings. These ingredients were equally as important as wine and olive oil. They were produced in the same way as the fermented condiments of South East Asia, with fish such as sardines and mackerels being salted and fermented. In particular, the amber-colored garum extracted first from the fermentation process was most highly prized. The famous 'Apecius Cookbook' of Ancient Rome contains many recipes where, in times when there was no sugar or salt, garum was frequently used. One could say that garum was prized as a condiment which combined umami and saltiness. The use of garum died out along with the Roman Empire, however anchovy paste and sauce can be seen as its modern counterpart.Fish bones found inside a container from the Garum shop Courtesy: Dr. Curtis, University Georgia, USA
The worldwide permeation of the umami taste of tomatoes
Tomatoes, which originated in South America, were brought to Europe when Columbus discovered the continent. It appears that they were originally used for medicinal purposes, but in Italy they underwent a re-evaluation, and were used as a foodstuff, forming the basis of a wide variety of dishes, and are now an indispensable ingredient of Italian cuisine. In the UK, Worcester Sauce was made from tomatoes and a wide variety of other vegetables, and this was eventually exported to America, along with tomato sauce and paste, where a variety of processed foods such as ketchup and chili sauce were produced. Today, tomatoes are one of the most widely produced vegetables on the planet and their umami taste is appreciated all over the world.
The synergistic effect of umami is employed in stock all over the world
Stock is the basis of cooking all over the world. Various kinds of stock are made using a variety of ingredients, with kombu and bonito flakes being used in Japanese 'dashi', and meat and vegetables used in Western 'bouillon' and Chinese 'tan'. It can be said of all these types of stock, however, that they skilfully combine and draw out the umami flavour of the glutamate contained in kombu and vegetables and the inosinate found in bonito flakes and meat. Although the synergistic effect of umami was only discovered scientifically in 1960, this effect was being put to good use all over the world long before this in the form of stock.
The composition of umami
Amino acids - a crucial element in flavor
The umami taste was initially found to appear with the presence of glutamate - a type of amino acid. After this discovery, research investigating the connection between amino acids - a structural element of protein - and the taste of food continued, and it was eventually discovered that each of the twenty kinds of amino acids possesses its own unique taste. The combination of these various tastes is an important element in determining the flavor of foods.
Examples
Enhancing good taste - the synergistic effect of umami
Apart from the amino acid glutamate, the umami taste is also given by the nucleotides inosinate, which can be found in meat and fish, and guanylate, which is found in mushrooms. The synergistic effect of these different types of umami has been scientifically proven - that is, that by combining these different kinds of umami, the umami taste is significantly magnified. Japanese people have been making use of ingredients containing different types of umami in their dashi stock, which forms the basis of many Japanese meals. Ichiban dashi, for example, contains kombu (kelp) which is rich in glutamate and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) which contain a large quantity of inosinate. These culinary conventions are the result of understanding the synergistic effect of umami through practical experience.
Ways of combining umami
The synergistic effect of umami has been put to use in Japanese, Western, Chinese and all kinds of cuisines throughout history.