{"id":145910,"title":"What Is Umami Taste? The Fifth Flavor Explained","modified":"2026-06-17T12:14:35+02:00","plain":"What is umami flavor?\n\n\n\nSweet, sour, salty, bitter\u2026 These tastes are already familiar to us, but what exactly is umami? It\u2019s actually a relatively recent discovery. It\u2019s also known as the \u201cfifth taste,\u201d and it has often been described as the subtle, velvety aftertaste you encounter in dishes that make the most of umami flavors. On its own, it isn\u2019t all that interesting. It becomes far more interesting, taste-wise, when it\u2019s paired with other flavors. \n\n\n\nThe history of umami\n\n\n\nIn the 1980s, after research on the subject had multiplied,  umami was officially recognized as a true flavor, independent of the other four. And ever since, its popularity has been steadily on the rise. \n\n\n\nIn 1985, the International Symposium, held in Hawaii that year, decided that umami would be the precise term to designate this very distinctive taste. It is also derived from \u201cumai,\u201d which means \u201cdelicious\u201d in Japanese. \n\n\n\nTo get a little idea of the taste: the flavor of broth, meat, seaweed, mushrooms, and even Parmesan is brimming with umami. Yet these foods don\u2019t necessarily all taste the same. It actually happens at the molecular level. \n\n\n\nWhy do you think Parmesan is so popular? One answer: umami\n\n\n\nFoods rich in amino acids (in monosodium glutamate, to be exact) complete the definition of umami flavor. This glutamate has been used for several centuries already, notably with the fermented fish sauces of Ancient Rome or the fermented barley sauces of medieval Byzantine and Arab cuisine. This new flavor actually translates to \u201cpleasant and savory taste\u201d; now there\u2019s a good reason to work wonders in the kitchen! \n\n\n\nFoods rich in umami\n\n\n\nStill can\u2019t picture the umami taste, or how to use it? You don\u2019t even need to rush off to an Asian grocery store\u2014you can find this flavor in plenty of foods you already have at home. \n\n\n\nIn beef, for example, pork, sauces, tomatoes, ketchup, cheeses\u2026 Soy sauce, fish sauce, and miso are also particularly rich in umami flavor.\n\n\n\nTomatoes are a great way to add umami to dishes. For instance, I often use them in my chicken rillettes.\n\n\n\n There are plenty of recipes you can recreate at home; try your hand at mushroom-stuffed cheeseburgers, Thai crab curry, or truffle and Parmesan fries\u2026 Thrills guaranteed! If you want to experiment with umami in Asian cooking, whip up dishes based on kombu seaweed or yeast extracts like Vegemite or Marmite, which you can find in specialty shops. \n\n\n\nGlutamate and umami\n\n\n\nBasically, glutamate is that non-essential amino acid found in many foods. A flavor enhancer that goes hand in hand with umami. MSG, or monosodium glutamate, may be frightening at first glance, but the Food and Drug Administration, an American agency tasked with protecting public health, has declared that the amino acid is a harmless ingredient. \n\n\n\nIt is nonetheless important to mention that it can cause some unwanted effects, such as headaches or nausea, but only in a very small percentage of the population. It\u2019s even an ingredient we sometimes consume unknowingly over the course of the day. \n\n\n\nLike the salt or sugar you might find on the table, MSG is a white powder used as a seasoning. The advantage is that glutamate is a perfect alternative to salt, which is far richer in sodium. While it works perfectly with soups or sauces, I wouldn\u2019t recommend it in desserts. On the other hand, use it in a fried rice dish and the job is done!","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}