Find Your Flavor: Umami
Umami is next – have you heard of this flavor before?
This is a taste not all of you may know about. In the 1970s, this additional taste was discovered in Japan, and the name translates to “savory” or “meaty.” As we explained earlier this month, we recognize tastes on our tongue thanks to our taste receptors. Umami is recognized when the amino acid glutamate is released from the food. When tasting umami, a lot of people have a hard time describing it besides- good.
Some umami boosting food items include
- Mushrooms
- Fermented Foods: Miso, Kimchi, Cheeses
- Garlic
- Seafood
- Nutritional Yeast
- Meat
- Sundried Tomatoes
A benefit of the umami taste is that it improves the flavor of food without adding additional salt. We all know that too much salt is not good for your blood pressure so adding umami rich food items can be a good substitute. One good tip is combining mushrooms and garlic with ground meat to make a blended burger. This reduces the amount of fat and salt in the burger and makes it even more savory.
How will you use umami to make your dishes more savory?