Umami as a Global Presence

Food with umami is not found only in Japanese and other Asian cuisines. The taste is a feature of all culinary traditions, and there are some very good reasons for this. First, everything edible contains components, in the form of proteins and free amino acids, that are potential sources of umami. In addition, the association of umami with deliciousness is a universal trait based on the human taste experience. Food cultures in all parts of the world have, in a sense, been created around efforts to enhance umami taste. We like and find pleasure in food with umami, an aspect of our character that has developed further over the course of human evolution.