Some Interesting Facts about Umami, the Fifth Taste

What Is Umami, the Fifth Taste? Umami is a Japanese word meaning “pleasant savory taste.”“Umami” is from two Japanese words: umai (delicious) and mi (essence). It was officially recognized as a basic taste (alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter) in 1985. It is mostly associated with the amino acid glutamate and certain nucleotides.

Savory describes a taste that is not sweet, but instead rich, salty, meaty, or full-bodied. It often overlaps with the umami flavor, that deep, mouthwatering sensation you get from foods like grilled meat, cheese, or broth.

Savory foods are soups, roasted meats, soy sauce, mushrooms, pizza, chips. Opposite of savory are sweet foods like cake, chocolate, ice cream.

Savory usually means flavorful, umami-rich, not sweet. But in non-food contexts, it means respectable or decent.

“Umami” is the taste of “glutamate” (amino acid which is a component of protein). Natural umami is found in foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, parmesan cheese, anchovies, and cured meats. Breast milk is rich in umami, which is thought to help infants develop a preference for nutritious protein-rich foods.

Cured Meats

Cured meats are meats that have been preserved using methods like salting, smoking, drying, or aging. The process keeps the meat from spoiling, adds flavor, and often changes the texture. People have been curing meat for thousands of years. It was one of the first ways to store food before refrigerators existed.

Examples:
Ham – pork leg cured with salt, sometimes smoked.
Bacon – pork belly cured and smoked.
Salami – fermented and dried sausage.
Prosciutto – Italian dry-cured ham.
Chorizo – spicy cured sausage from Spain/Mexico.

Umami does not taste strong on its own but enhances other flavors, making dishes feel fuller and more satisfying. It stimulates saliva production, which is why foods rich in umami feel juicy and mouthwatering. Our tongue has specific receptors dedicated to detecting umami.

Cultural Fun Facts about Umami, the Fifth Taste

In 1908, Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese chemist, discovered umami while studying the taste of kombu (kelp). He later developed monosodium glutamate (MSG) as a seasoning to reproduce that taste.

Different cuisines have their own umami-rich staples.

Japanese: miso, kombu, bonito flakes
Italian: parmesan, cured ham, tomatoes
Chinese: soy sauce, fermented bean paste
French: mushrooms, long-simmered stocks

Interesting Effects of Umami, the Fifth Taste

Umami can reduce the need for added salt in dishes, which makes it useful for healthier cooking.

Foods rich in umami often leave a longer-lasting taste than sweet or salty foods.

When umami compounds combine (like glutamate + inosinate in meat and mushrooms), the flavor is multiplicatively stronger. This is why pairing steak with mushrooms or tomatoes with cheese tastes so good.

What Is an Artificial Glutamate?

Glutamate is an amino acid. It’s one of the building blocks of proteins. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. It’s a flavor enhancer designed to reproduce and intensify the natural umami taste found in foods. In pure form, it looks like a white crystalline powder (similar to sugar or salt). MSG was extracted from seaweed (kombu), which is rich in natural glutamate. Today it’s made by fermenting starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses using bacteria, in a process similar to making yogurt, vinegar, or soy sauce. This fermentation produces glutamic acid, which is then neutralized with sodium to make MSG.

MSG provides immediate umami taste without needing long cooking or fermentation. It can make dishes taste richer and more satisfying, even in small amounts. It allows chefs and food manufacturers to use less salt, since MSG enhances savory flavor with much lower sodium content. Numerous studies show MSG is safe for most people when consumed in normal amounts. The human body doesn’t distinguish between natural glutamate in foods and MSG.