What is umami? How does it taste? Where does it come from? Why haven’t we heard about it before? These were the exact questions buzzing in our minds when we first dived into the world of umami. Today, umami plays a crucial role in mouthwatering Moba dishes, and we’re thrilled to share the juicy details about this sensational flavor.
What is umami?
Umami, translated as the ‘essence of taste,’ is the fifth basic taste, in addition to sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Simply put, the receptors in our mouths sense the amino acid called glutamate and send signals directly to the brain, perceiving them as umami. Glutamate is present in many flavorful ingredients, and it connects delicious foods like mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, meat, and soy sauce.
More than a taste.
While it is recognized as one of the primary tastes, umami distinctly sets itself apart from others by being part chemistry and part sensation. In essence, the umami flavor experience involves a complex interplay of taste, aroma, texture, and temperature, all contributing to how we perceive the food we consume. This complexity is evident when people attempt to describe the taste of umami, as they often characterize it as more about savoriness and deliciousness rather than a simple, one-dimensional nudge.
The intriguing part is this: when we were in school, we were taught about only four tastes – sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. So, we couldn’t help but wonder – why didn’t we learn about umami? When did the umami journey begin, and who were the pioneers that uncovered its secrets?
A brief history of umami.
Umami was first identified and named by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908. He isolated the compound responsible for the savory taste from seaweed broth, which turned out to be glutamate. The discovery of taste receptors specific to umami, known as the T1R1/T1R3 receptors, has contributed to our understanding of how the taste is perceived.
But, if umami only got its name a century ago, why do we find ancient references to umami-rich food? Turns out, our ancestors might not have known what umami was, but they sure knew how glutamate made them feel. Before Ikeda coined the term, the idea of a savory or fifth taste was not explicitly identified or named in the Western world. Yet, the taste linked with umami has been a silent companion throughout human history, in various culinary traditions for centuries.
Umami around the globe.
Many cultures around the world have used ingredients which contain high levels of glutamate and contribute to the umami taste. For example, In Japan, the umami taste has long been appreciated in traditional dishes. Ingredients like seaweed, bonito flakes (katsuobushi), and soy sauce, all rich in umami compounds, have been integral to Japanese cuisine for centuries. The ancient Romans had a condiment called “garum,” a fermented fish sauce. This sauce, used extensively in Roman cuisine, likely had umami characteristics due to the fermentation process, which would have produced glutamate. Chinese cuisine has a rich history of using fermented and aged ingredients, such as soy sauce and fermented bean pastes, which contribute to the umami taste.
Jump to the present day, where chefs wield umami-rich ingredients to elevate the overall flavor of dishes. Umami is considered a key element in creating depth and complexity in modern culinary creations.
Umami-rich food.
Now, let’s explore the enjoyable part we all adore—eating. You’re likely curious about which foods are rich in umami.
Some examples include kelp, nori, mushrooms, tomatoes, anchovies, meats, miso paste, aged balsamic vinegar, green tea, and asparagus, to name just a few. Additionally, fermentation can significantly contribute to increased umami levels in certain foods. During the fermentation process, microorganisms, such as bacteria and yeast, break down complex molecules into simpler compounds. This breakdown can release and enhance the concentration of glutamate, which is a key contributor to the umami taste. Fermented foods, such as soy sauce, miso paste, fish sauce, and aged cheeses, are known for their rich umami flavor. At Moba kitchen, we engage in daily fermentation of plant-based ingredients to yield more flavorful, succulent, and health-conscious variations of conventional elements, bringing forth innovation in our culinary creations.
Plant-based umami in Moba.
In this article, you’ve discovered that many umami-rich foods traditionally involve animal-based products such as meat, fish, and milk. When establishing Moba Kitchen, we faced a significant challenge: creating and utilizing ingredients with the highest levels of umami while maintaining a completely plant-based approach.
The Moba menu boasts an array of umami-rich ingredients. From peanut and chickpea tempeh to buckwheat and tomato tamari, pumpkin miso paste, fermented dry-smoked beets, aged plant-based cheeses, sourdough, brioche buns, vegan meat, and smoked vegetables—these are just a selection of the components we employ to introduce unexpected complexity and fullness of flavor to our plant-based dishes.
