Umami

This term may be bandied about with abandon lately, but it is rarely fully understood and instead is often used as an umbrella term for savory.

Umami is one of the six tastes—one of just five until kokumi was discovered a few years ago. (Today, the known tastes are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami, and kokumi.) In a nutshell, umami is the body’s—specifically the tongue and brain’s—reaction to glutamic acid, a controversial substance much maligned because of the artificially produced D-glutamic acid primarily associated with MSG. When activated, glutamic acid becomes glutamine, an amino acid essential to human metabolism with many health benefits (e.g. L-glutamine’s ability to boost immune function, reduce inflammation, and increase energy, for a start). Foods that have high concentrations of glutamic acids are typically animal products, and glutamic acid is a key reason why meat is considered flavorful. Our brains receive signals from the taste buds on the tongue and mouth, and even from our sense of smell, indicating the presence of this compound—in part why many people find that they crave these tastes. That said, many natural plant sources also contain high concentrations of glutamic acid that can be harnessed for a nice umami upgrade to your dishes. Examples include: