Umami is considered the fifth basic taste, alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. It is described as a savory, meaty, or brothy taste, and is largely attributed to the amino acid glutamate. While umami has long been recognized in East Asian cuisines, particularly Japanese and Chinese cuisine, it has only come to be identified as a distinct taste in the early 1900s.
Quick Answers
Umami was first identified by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908 while he was studying the properties of seaweed broth. He isolated glutamate as the source of umami taste and named it accordingly (umami means “delicious taste” in Japanese). Umami has since been found to occur naturally in many foods, especially cured meats, aged cheeses, mushrooms, tomatoes, and seafood.
In terms of culture, umami is most closely associated with various East Asian cuisines, where it has been a foundational taste for centuries. Foods like soy sauce, miso, kombu (dried kelp), and dried fish and mushrooms are all rich in umami components and widely used. Umami is also central to dashi, the savory Japanese broth made from kelp and dried bonito flakes.
However, umami is not exclusive to Asian cuisine. Many culinary traditions make use of umami-rich ingredients and cooking techniques that enhance umami – Think aged cheeses in Italy, cured meat in Spain, tomatoes and mushrooms in French cuisine. While not always described as “umami”, the concept of a savory fifth taste has likely been recognized and utilized intuitively across many cultures.
Where did umami originate?
While the term “umami” originated in Japan in the early 1900s, the concept of a savory fifth taste distinct from sweet, sour, salty and bitter was likely recognized much earlier in various cultures.
In China, the character 鲜 (xiān) has been used since ancient times to describe the rich, savory taste of certain foods. A similar notion existed in ancient Rome of a taste called “sapidity”. The cured fish sauce garum, widely used in Roman cooking, was noted for its rich, savory quality.
So while umami was isolated and named by the Japanese, its existence was likely identified intuitively by many cultures throughout history by virtue of cooking with glutamate-rich ingredients like aged meats, fish sauces and cheeses.
Japan is credited with isolating and codifying umami as a distinct taste because scientific study and interest in food chemistry emerged earlier there than in most other cultures. But umami itself is not limited to just Japanese or East Asian cuisine.
What foods contain the most umami?
Some foods that are naturally rich sources of umami include:
- Aged cheeses like Parmesan
- Cured meats like prosciutto
- Seafood like sardines, anchovies, shrimp
- Mushrooms
- Tomatoes
- Soy sauce
- Miso paste
- Fish sauce
- Beef or chicken stock
- Green tea
- Nutritional yeast
- Ripe tomatoes
- Boned and aged meats
These foods contain high levels of amino acids like glutamate and nucleotides like inosinate and guanylate, which together produce a strong umami taste. Cooking techniques like curing, aging, fermenting and roasting can also enhance the umami flavor of foods.
What cuisines feature umami prominently?
While umami is enjoyed across most cuisines, some culinary traditions highlight and amplify umami flavors more than others:
Japanese Cuisine
Umami is central to Japanese cooking and represented by ingredients like dashi (kelp stock), soy sauce, miso and shiitake mushrooms. Dishes like sashimi allow you to taste umami in its purest form.
Chinese Cuisine
Many flavorings in Chinese cooking are umami-forward, like soy sauce, oyster sauce and fermented bean pastes. Chinese cooking also employs umami-rich ingredients like mushrooms, seafood and cured meats.
Korean Cuisine
Anchovies, kelp, fermented bean paste and soy sauce all lend umami depth. Kimchi’s umami flavor intensifies as it ages. Soups and stews are simmered for a long time to bring out meat’s umami.
Southeast Asian Cuisine
Fish sauce, shrimp paste, dried shrimp and mushrooms are integral umami ingredients. Cooking techniques like fermenting also boost umami.
European Cuisine
Aged cheeses, cured meats, mushrooms, tomatoes and dried mushrooms lend umami. Cooking methods like braising, curing and reducing sauces bring out umami.
What are the different types of umami ingredients?
There are two broad classes of umami ingredients:
1. Glutamates
These are compounds containing glutamic acid, like monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) and nutritional yeast. Glutamates provide pure umami taste.
2. Nucleotides
Like inosinate and guanylate compounds. These are found in meat, fish, mushrooms and other foods. Nucleotides alone taste bitter or dull, but when combined with glutamates, they synergistically enhance umami.
Some individual ingredients that are high in umami compounds include:
- Soy sauce
- Fish sauce
- Dried mushrooms
- Aged cheeses
- Anchovies
- Kombu seaweed
- Tomato paste
- Miso
- Nutritional yeast
Cooking methods that build up or enhance natural umami are:
- Aging meat or cheese
- Fermenting
- Curing meat or fish
- Roasting, charring or grilling
- Reducing sauces
- Simmering stocks for a long time
How is umami used in different cuisines?
Here are some examples of umami ingredients and cooking techniques used across cuisines:
Japanese Cuisine
- Dashi stock made from kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
- Soy sauce
- Miso paste
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Cooking methods like dashi infusion, simmering soups over time
Chinese Cuisine
- Soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Fermented black beans
- Cooking methods like velveting, claypot braising
Korean Cuisine
- Fermented soybean paste (doenjang)
- Fermented chili paste (gochujang)
- Anchovies
- Kelp
- Simmering stews and soups
French Cuisine
- Dried mushrooms
- Aged cheeses
- Tomato paste
- Reducing sauces
- Braising meats
Italian Cuisine
- Aged hard cheeses like Parmesan
- Anchovies
- Cured meats
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Roasted tomatoes
- Braising meats in a braise or ragu
As you can see, while specific ingredients and cooking methods vary, the use of umami-dense foods and umami-boosting techniques is common across cuisines.
Conclusion
Umami is a savory, meaty, mouthwatering taste that arises from glutamate compounds and nucleotides found naturally in foods. While it was first identified and named in Japan, umami itself is not limited to Asian cuisine. The basic human taste receptors for umami exist worldwide.
Throughout history, cooks across many cultures have intuitively recognized and utilized the concept of a savory “fifth taste” by cooking with ingredients naturally high in umami. Parmesan, fish sauce, cured meats and dried mushrooms have profound savory depth in Italian, Vietnamese, Spanish and French cooking respectively.
So while umami has a Japanese name and was codified there, it is truly a universal taste that can be celebrated across all cuisines that make use of natural umami-rich ingredients and cooking methods that boost umami flavors.