Monosodium Glutamate

Appears in

By Alastair Little and Richard Whittington

Published 1998

About

Sometimes sold as ‘taste powder’, monosodium glutamate (MSG) is essentially glutamic acid, an amino acid found naturally in a number of foods, including kelp, seaweed, soy sauce and wheat, and which is commercially extracted from fermented molasses to make this much used and abused flavour-enhancer on a huge scale.

Yan-Kit So, an authority on Chinese food, says 400,000 tonnes of MSG (weijing) are produced worldwide each year. Since it is added to food in powder form in tiny amounts to give a rich, meaty flavour this gives some indication of how widespread its use has become. Though originally a Japanese invention, it is today omnipresent in Chinese restaurant kitchens, where a pinch of MSG is added to a dish as automatically as a pinch of salt.

Become a Premium Member to access this page

Unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of the world’s best cookbooks
Over 150,000 recipes with thousands more added every month
Recommended by leading chefs and food writers
Powerful search filters to match your tastes
Create collections and add reviews or private notes to any recipe
Swipe to browse each cookbook from cover-to-cover
Manage your subscription via the My Membership page

Already a member?

Monthly plan

Annual plan

'Brilliant app for foodies'

'Spotify of cookbooks'

Part of

Global Kitchen Glossary

The licensor does not allow printing of this title