What is umami?
Umami is one of the five basic tastes, alongside sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Umami is most commonly described as 'savoury', but it can also be described as 'meaty' or 'delicious'. It is perceived by specific receptors across the entire tongue—not just in certain areas—and throughout the mouth.
Umami is triggered by naturally occurring glutamate in protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, cheese, tomatoes and soy sauce. It signals enjoyment to the brain, balances flavours and makes many dishes tastier. Umami-rich ingredients are a staple of everyday cooking.
Examples of umami-rich foods:
- Naturally brewed soy sauces such as Kikkoman
- Marmite
- Anchovies
- Miso
- Tomato purée
- Fish sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
Other foods naturally rich in umami:
- Beef
- Pork
- Chicken
- Mackerel
- Tuna
- Crab
- Squid
- Seaweed
- Parmesan cheese
- Mushrooms (especially shiitake and porcini)
- Green tea
Combining several umami-rich foods can create a very intense flavour.
We perceive the taste of umami when a food contains larger amounts of the amino acid glutamate. Meat and mushrooms, for example, are not particularly umami-rich when raw. It is only through processes such as cooking, curing, fermenting, caramelising or frying that the amino acids are released and perceived as umami by our taste receptors. Slow cooking or ageing also produces the characteristic, flavoursome aroma.
The discovery of umami
Confucius described fermented seasonings as early as the 5th century BC. In 1908, Kikunae Ikeda discovered the amino acid glutamate in foods such as asparagus, cheese, tomatoes, meat, Dashi broth and Kombu seaweed as the source of the savoury taste 'umami' and went on to produce it in the form of monosodium glutamate.
Although umami was once often associated with Asian foods—probably because of its name—it is not an Asian phenomenon. Its pleasant taste can be found in ingredients from cuisines all over the world.
Umami continues to shape our products today. Examples include Kikkoman Instant Soups and Kikkoman Ramen Soup Base.
What does umami mean?
The word 'umami' is made up of the Japanese adjective 'umai', meaning 'delicious' or 'tasty', and 'mi', meaning 'essence'.
Bring more umami to your dishes
Kikkoman Soy Sauce can also add umami to traditional European dishes. Whether used as a secret ingredient in pasta sauces, with avocado toast, as an unexpected twist on frozen pizza or in dips for chips, it adds a special touch to many dishes, without overpowering.
The natural fermentation process, which takes several months, creates a pure, rich umami flavour that synthetic alternatives cannot replicate. As a 100% plant-based, natural seasoning, Kikkoman Soy Sauce is also ideal for reducing your salt intake in everyday cooking when used judiciously in place of table salt.
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