This year marks the 102nd anniversary of a major culinary discovery. I’d say it was an invention but I’m afraid Mother-nature gets the credit for that one.
One hundred and two years ago, Japanese scientists isolated and identified a distinctive “fifth flavor”— a compound found in many foods including mushrooms, shellfish, dairy, ripe tomatoes and soy sauce. A compound we now call umami. Dr. Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo) had observed that this strong, pungent flavor in Ocean Kelp soup was difficult to classify. People could describe it, but they could not identify it as easily as they could something “salty” or “sweet.” In 1908, Ikeda set out to prove the existence of this flavor, which he believed was distinctly different from the established categories of sweet, salty, bitter, or sour. Ikeda’s research on Ocean Kelp (a traditional soup ingredient in many coastal towns around Japan) led to the discovery of the elusive umami. Kikunae Ikeda was the first to call the flavor umami (旨味?), meaning “good flavor,” or “good taste.” Other translations indicate the word also suggests qualities like “brothy” or “meaty. ”
Ikeda’s fascination with umami led to the discovery of a form of glutamate, and specifically, monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is a modern day chemical reproduction of naturally occurring amino acids and glutamates. During the early 1900’s, the Ajinomoto Company in Japan began commercial distribution of MSG products. Eventually, some of these man-made flavorings found their way into various cuisines (Chinese take-out, for instance) as synthetic flavor additives. Sadly, most people only know this chemically synthesized version of one of nature’s greatest culinary contributions. Other commercial examples include canned gravy, liquid melted cheese topping, and the chips sold in large bags sporting names like “Cool Ranch” and “Extreme Cheese” that usually accompany Monday night football. Part of how we “taste” umami is by detecting the carboxylate anion of glutamic acid. This is a naturally occurring amino acid common in meat, particularly in bacon and cured meats (something chefs worldwide will tell you is a must in many dishes, yours truly included). Umami is also a common flavor in cheese, broth, stock, and other protein-heavy foods.
Many cultures have incorporated umami-rich ingredients into their cuisine for the same reason modern chefs use it in their food—it adds a savory, lasting, satiating component to a dish. In most western cuisines, the rendering of animal fats like bacon, pancetta, and chorizo as a base is common practice. Building a dish with umami as a base allows the cook to create layers of flavor in a dish, adding salt and sweetness, and ending with the addition of texture and color. The addition of umami-rich ingredients can also happen at the end of the dish, by using cheese as a finishing ingredient (think pasta, risotto, gratin-like dishes where cheese is melted over soups, breads and protein). I’ll discuss this in more depth later. Umami is not restricted solely to protein-heavy foods. The use of certain vegetables in a dish is another example of umami in daily cooking (such as mushrooms and tomatoes), in a basic tomato sauce, or even showcasing vegetables as the main ingredient contributing the umami element to the dish (such as ratatouille). The discovery of umami, after all, originated from a type of seaweed, and not animal protein. Below is a chart illustrating some components that multiply the umami flavor effect in various cuisines:
As I mentioned, most cheeses tend to have umami flavors. Cheese contains particular enzymes that bond to the umami receptors in the stomach and tongue. Aged cheeses like Parmiagiano-Regginano and Peccorino Romano show higher levels of umami due in part to the concentration of enzymes which ageing imparts to the cheese. These types of cheeses also have higher, more detectable concentration levels of certain pyrazines. For this reason, the common practice of grating cheese over our favorite tomato sauce has a chemical significance; adding cheese to the already umami rich tomato sauce enhances its effects in the dish. Again, this is something chefs have been doing for a very long time and take for granted, or do simply because without the cheese a particular dish is “missing” something elusive: that fifth flavor.
Another way of incorporating umami into a dish is by wrapping certain proteins in other proteins, particularly in those naturally higher in umami (picture scallops wrapped in bacon). Again, this is way for chefs (and home cooks) to multiply the effects of umami in a dish. Recent studies have shown that bacon in particular has a unique composition of amino acids, which increase the umami count and are actually addictive to the brain. Bacon has a high level of naturally occurring glutamate (mg/100g) :337 Umami units), compared to, say, dried shitake mushrooms (mg/100g) :150 Umami units) or beef (mg/100g) :107 Umami units). Of course, in any dish, the key is to achieve balance and integration. While umami alone is no culinary panacea, it can be that magic touch that brings out the best in other flavors.
