Monthly Archives: April 2014

What is Umami?

 The thought about taste could be traced back to ancient Greek; Aristotle separated taste into two main areas, bitter and sweet, and further separated in other details. In the history of the West, the four tastes given were simply bitterness, sourness, sweetness, and saltiness. It was thought that these four tastes covered every taste available. Since 1907, the fifth taste Umami, which has long been used in Eastern cuisine, has been officially discovered by Japanese, Dr. Kikunae Ikeda from Tokyo Imperial University, founder of Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG). The first description about Umami taste comes from his note “There is a taste which is common to asparagus, tomatoes, cheese and meat, but which is not one of the four well-known tastes of sweet, sour, bitter and salty.” Later on, this flavor has been recognized as the fifth basic taste in addition to the four better known tastes of sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Professor Ikeda started his experiment on Kombu Seaweed, which he found the taste was present. He successfully extracted Glutamic Acid from Kombu Seaweed and noted that the Glutamate had a distinctive taste which is different from the four Western well-known basic tastes. He called this new discovered taste “Umami”. Umami has literally meaning as “delicious flavor” and now has been use as international term of the fifth basic taste. Today Umami is considered a fundamental taste in Japanese food. The most obvious example for the use of Umami taste in Japanese food is Katsuobushi, also known as okaka which is the Japanese name for dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna that used to add in many dishes or used as soup based. This ingredient has no other taste but only Umami in it. The clear explanation of Umami taste could be difficult; however, it is something similar to fatty meats like steak, seafood and aged cheese.

5 Basic Tastes

Taste is the sensation of the chemical reaction in your mouth when you eat or drink something. Naturally, this basic instinct is important for human being in term of survival. For example, bitter or sour taste indicates poisonous inedible plants or food. On the other hand, sweetness or saltiness is often a sign of rich nutrients food. Despite the fact that most of what we call taste are actually smell, there are five basic tastes that the tongue is sensitive to; sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory or umami. All other tastes are the combination of these basic tastes. Sweetness Sweetness is produced by the presence of sugars, artificial sweeteners and a few other substances. This taste is regarded as a pleasurable sensation. Most people enjoy sweetness and often say “Sweets make you happy”. The primary function of sugar or sweetness foods is to provide energy. Sourness Sourness is the taste that detects acidity which can be found in foods such as vinegar.This taste is produced by hydrogen ion, basically found in foods that are formed by water and acids. The most common group is fruits, lemon, grape and orange, for example. The spoiled foods create sour taste that our tongue can detect, which help us to avoid danger from eating rotten foods. Saltiness Saltiness is a taste produced primarily by the presence of sodium ions. The more sodium in the food, the more salty taste you can get. The primary function of salty food is to provide minerals that are essential to the functioning of the human body. Bitterness Basically, bitterness is the most sensitive and unpleasant taste which is used as a protective function by human sense of taste to avoid poisonous. However, it is sometimes desirable taste which can be found in beer, coffee and raw chocolate. Umami or Savory Umami is the name for the taste sensation produced by several amino acids and glutamates commonly found in fermented and aged foods. This taste can be described in English as “meaty” or “savory”. Umami is Japanese which literally mean “delicious flavor”. Umami is now the commonly used term by taste scientists worldwide. It is considered a fundamental taste in Japanese food. The examples of foods contain umami taste are soy sauce, fish sauce and Roquefort cheese. What about “Spiciness”!? Spicy is not a taste, it is actually a form of pain sensation or a protective mechanism of the body that makes you aware of dangerous food which can damage your body!