Umami’s an old flavor but still a new concept for many cooks. Here’s what to know

You know that burst of flavor you experience when you take a bite of certain savory foods, such as meat, fish, mushrooms or miso? That sensation of “whoa, that is just delicious!” In all likelihood, you are tasting umami.

Umami, which translates to “delicious savory taste, " was identified as a distinct flavor in 1908 by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda. It’s now recognized as the fifth taste, joining sweet, salty, bitter and sour.

The concept of this fifth taste has been embraced in the East for a long time, before it had an official name. But it’s still a relatively new idea to many home cooks in the West.

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If you’ve ever wondered why sprinkling Parmesan on your pasta made it just so much more satisfying, why the exterior of a roasted pork shoulder has so much flavor, why miso soup tastes so luxurious, why bacon is so freaking delicious, why an anchovy-laded Caesar salad dressing makes you want to wriggle with joy, why caramelized onions have so much depth — the answer is umami.

Umami flavor comes from glutamate, a common amino acid or protein building block found in many foods. The most familiar is monosodium glutamate, or MSG. In the U.S., it was once believed that MSG wasn’t good for you, but it’s now generally recognized as a safe addition to food. Many Asian chefs have worked to reintroduce MSG into daily cooking.

Umami can be found in many ingredients in many cuisines

Foods rich with umami flavor include:

Aged cheeses: Blue cheese, gouda and cheddar are some of the most umami-packed cheeses due to the breakdown of proteins that takes places during the aging process. Parmesan cheese is widely recognized as an umami bomb.

Tomato products: The more cooked down, the more concentrated the umami — think tomato paste, sundried tomatoes and ketchup.

Mushrooms: In particular, shiitake, oyster and portobello mushrooms. Also, make use of dried mushrooms.

Meat and meat broths: Roasted and grilled meats are examples of umami richness. A roasted chicken, pan-seared steak. Cured meats like prosciutto and bacon are also umami powerhouses. So are ramen, udon soup and other foods made with rich savory broths.

Fish and seafood: Especially varieties like sea urchin, shrimp and scallops. You will also find high levels of umami flavor in fish and fish broths, especially little oily fish like sardines and anchovies.

Bonito flakes: These tissue-thin, fluffy shards of cooked and dry-smoked tuna are used as the base of dashi, a seasoning blend at the base of much Japanese cooking. Dashi also usually includes shiitake mushrooms and kombu (seaweed).

Many fermented things have umami taste

Soy sauce, or shoyu, is one of the pillars of umami flavor in Asian cooking. Fermentation breaks down the proteins in the soybeans and wheat used to make soy sauce into amino acids, glutamic acid in particular. Tamari is a gluten-free version of this condiment.

Fish sauce is another source of umami, used often in Southeast Asian cooking. The basic ingredients are anchovies and salt. The salt pulls out the liquid from the fish and creates a dark, potent amber sauce. This is one of the reasons that Thai, Vietnamese and Philippine food, to name a few, taste so distinctively and pungently savory.

Non-meat options

Vegetarians and vegans might think that elusive fifth taste is hard to achieve without meat or other animal products, but there is much good news!

Seaweed: Another big source of umami (and not coincidentally the other main ingredient in dashi).

Yeast enhancers and spreads: Umami is the leading flavor note of marmite and nutritional yeast.

Miso paste, made from fermented soybeans, is high in umami, whether you are using white miso, brown rice miso, red miso or yellow miso.

A few of many interesting accents from the pantry...

An online store called Umami Mart makes an umami salt that contains salt, black, garlic and shiitake mushrooms.

Red Boat makes excellent fish sauce and also has as a seasoned salt made with anchovies, a dry way to add pungent flavor.

Fan favorite Kewpie Mayonnaise is rich in umami thanks to the combo of egg yolks, vinegar and MSG.

Cabi makes an umami dashi soy sauce, which packs a serious umami punch.

A company called Muso makes organic umami purees from soy sauce and koji-cultured rice designed to add flavor and tenderize foods.

Yamaki makes dashi sachets and various sized packages of bonito flakes.

Kayanoya is a Japan-based company known for its line of dashi products ranging from dashi, kelp and mushroom stock powders to ramen and udon broth mixes.

Vumami makes a line of condiments called Umami Bomb, made with fermented soy beans, tamari and shiitake mushrooms. They can be added to stir-fries or soups, and used as a dumpling dip.

Now that you know what you’re tasting, you’ll be looking for ways to incorporate more of this fifth dates into your cooking. It’s truly as easy as knowing what ingredients to reach for!

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Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at https://themom100.com/. She can be reached at [email protected].

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