Salty...Sweet...Sour...Bitter. These are the flavors that we are used to hearing about and used to experiencing. We enjoy the salty crunch of chips, the smooth sweetness of ice cream and alittle bit of bitter or our goes a long way to heightening the sweet taste of many things. There is one elusive taste that we all have experienced, but few of us know what it is. The experience goes something like this.
Your out for your birthday, headed downtown for your favorite restaurant. You order that nice juicy expensive steak that you dream of all year long and its promptly brought to the table sizzling with a promising hiss. The aroma causes the waterworks of your mouth to open up. A slice, then a bite, and then it happens. FLAVOR. It washes over your taste buds like a wave of deep, buttery goodness. The flavor just has such depth, its unlike any steak you've ever grilled at home. There is a richness that you can't even begin to describe other than just pausing a moment.
"Mmm..That is DELICIOUS!"
What you've just experienced, is what I call, Tasty # 5, but its really "Umami". This literally means deliciousness in Japanese and it is a separate flavor that isn't any of the other four but does amazing things to flavors. Restaurants use this to heighten the flavor of their steaks, and other dishes because it "rounds" out the flavors, you can savor each bite and the richness of the flavor keeps drawing you in for more. But amazingly enough it also favors in the smell, and even texture of food too! Umami is like a eating experience all its own.
For years scientist argued that this "flavor" didn't exist, but sure enough they have discovered that there are receptors for Monosodium Glutamate which are specifically designed to taste "Tasty #5"
But before I drone on and on, below is a really great (and fun!) audio tour of what Umami is. Enjoy!
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