...And Then There Were Five: Umami

We all have some form of recognition from childhood of our four basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Those four sensory preceptors give our taste buds a whole myriad of flavors to contend with—some good, some bad. But did you know there is also a fifth fundamental sense of taste as well? It’s called umami and it’s responsible for the savory sense of taste of foods.

Do you get a sense of umami - savory - in a plate of ribs?

Discovered in the early part of the twentieth century by Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese chemist and professor, the true existence of Umami was hotly contested for many decades but is now receiving worldwide recognition, despite the belief of many scientists, including Professor Bruce Halpern of Cornell University, that umami is merely a concept and not a taste.

Glutamate, which is found naturally in many foods such as meats, fish and cheese, represents one of the purest tastes of umami.

Most people audibly gasp at the word ‘glutamate’ and its associative MSG (monosodium glutamate), which is used to enhance the savory taste in food. However, monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is not the specific taste, it is a substance used to bring out or enhance that particular taste in foods.

I admit I was one of many people who feared MSG. Because we as a nation soon discovered that it was a common ingredient used in Chinese restaurants and cuisine, I would even go so far as to inquire “Do you use MSG in your food?” whenever I would dine at a Chinese restaurant. I was pretty unaware about MSG, except what I had heard spread about in the form of rumors and scaremongers—was MSG safe? Does the sodium content cause my headaches? The International Glutamate Information Service helps to separate fact from fiction and dispel damaging rumors.

But back to umami.

What are your tongue receptors tasting?

Not to be confused with salty in terms of taste, savory is distinct from that, as well as the remaining three tastes (sweet, sour and bitter). Yes, the tongue’s receptors know what it likes. Did you know that a mother’s breast milk is full of umami? Parmesan cheese is high in naturally occurring glutamate, as are ripe tomatoes, sardines, white potatoes and tuna, to name a few food items.

It can all quickly become quite confusing, with scientific talk of glutamic acid, GMP, amino acids, L-glutamate and such, but my purpose is not to confound. There is so much information on umami to be uncovered across this vastness that we call the internet.

Do you believe there is a fifth taste?

Sources: 

Umami Information Center

International Glutamate Information Service