Umami in Western cuisine

Many people may not be aware of it, but Western cuisines have a long tradition of exploiting the umami taste to make food more delicious. Perhaps the earliest example is the ancient Romans’ creation of seasonings called garum and liquamen that were made from fermented fish. Since then; each country in Europe and the Americas has devised its own ways of experiencing umami, which encompass a wide variety of food types including meat products; vegetables and dairy products, the last of which are not widely consumed in Japan and therefore constitute an entirely different type of umami-rich food. Even the legacy of the ancient Roman fish sauces can be seen in a number of dried and fermented fish products, including salted anchovies, which are widely used in sauces and as flavourings for pizzas, salads and hors d'oeuvres. Rich, savoury soups such as French bouillabaisse, Spanish sopa de mariscos and the gumbo of New Orleans also exploit the umami provided by fish to excellent effect.